Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up?
by SASundance
Summary: This is a 'what if" story. What if Gibbs and Ducky weren't alone when they made those remarks about Tony being a narcissist in Murder 2.0 in season 6? What if the person listening in, then told someone else. What would be the consequences for Tony and the team? This story is complete.
1. Chapter 1

Rating: T

Disclosure; None of the NCIS characters are mine. I merely borrow them for entertainment purposes and gain no monetary gain from this story.

Summary: This is one of those 'what if' stories. What if someone else heard the comments about Tony being a narcissist during the Season 6 episode Murder 2.0 and shared that information? What would be the consequences for Tony and what effects would it have for the team?

Warning: This is NOT a family friendly team fic. It contains some character analyses that may offend some fans especially of the L.J. Gibbs variety. If you think that you might be offended, you might want to skip this story. As usual this is Tony-centric and deals with psychological themes.

A/N This is a story that begged to be written and is already well on the way to being completed. It isn't overly long, in all approximately 15 chapters. The genesis was threefold. The 'narcissistic' remark came up in a previous story of mine and generated comments that indicated that it was not just me who was upset about the remarks which likened Tony to a serial killer in being narcissistic. It also sparked a discussion between one of my Betas and myself and finally, I reacquainted myself with the diagnostic for Narcissistic Personality Disorder, already knowing he failed to meet the most obvious ones. But in studying them again, I had an epiphany of sorts and this story was born. LOL This is a dark and angst-filled tale, so just giving you all a heads up that it isn't a happily ever after sort of story.

Have to extend major thanks here to Arress for beta reading this story but also for the conversations that help shape the story and for her feedback as it evolved. Finally, I have give her credit for the title of the story. I had another one in mind but when she suggested it I couldn't resist. Thanks for hanging in on this one since you're a Gibbs fan. All errors are mine. Hope you enjoy :)

Will the Real Narcissist Please Stand Up?

Former NCIS Field Agent Michelle Lee, currently back working in the Legal Department after being given two short-lived stints working for the much vaunted Major Crimes Response Team, had come down to Autopsy hoping to find Jimmy Palmer. She wanted to rekindle her affair with her ex-lover because she missed their secret trysts, which had been conducted right under the noses of Doctor Mallard and his old friend, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, the team leader of the Major Crimes Response Team, who haunted Autopsy on a frequently basis.

Sometimes he would come down in an attempt to try to hurry up his colleague with results he was impatient for when the team was stymied. At other times, it was simply to seek advice or insights from Doctor Donald 'Ducky' Mallard, who was also a trusted associate. Of course, if anyone dared to suggest to Leroy Jethro Gibbs' face that he needed counsel, he would probably kill them with one of his famous death ray glares.

The problem was that Gibbs had the most maddening habit of popping up at the most inopportune times, frequently when Jimmy was beginning to seal the deal, so to speak. Yet overall, it also added to the excitement and adrenaline rush every time they pulled it off _or got it on_, she giggled. Michelle wasn't exactly sure how or why they had broken up, except that Jimmy had muttered something about his friend Tony finding out about their trysting in Autopsy.

And for her, the fact that her little sister Amanda was being held hostage and she being coerced into stealing confidential data to keep her safe, plus the additional strain of being placed on Gibbs MCRT after the new director swept a new broom through the DC office, all contributed to her stress levels. Michelle had found these factors, which initially resulted in a rampaging libido that found itself making demands on her, even at work, now resulted in her hormones suddenly taking a nosedive and she found herself putting Jimmy off instead. Somehow it had all just fizzled out.

Now that Michelle had again been tossed off the MCRT and sent back to Legal for a second time, she was frustrated, and also more than a little nervous, because despite the fact that she had managed to divert attention away from herself by setting up Agent Langer, she couldn't help feeling like Gibbs wasn't entirely convinced about her. Of course, he was a taciturn individual who would probably suspect Mother Teresa herself, but with her little sister's life hanging in the balance, she was naturally nervous about anything that might threaten her wellbeing. So, Michelle decided that she needed to maintain some form of contact with the MCRT and Gibbs to try and discover if she was just being paranoid.

To that end, Jimmy was her entrée into the team because of Doctor Mallard's friendship with the team and also because of Jimmy's close relationship with Tony, which made hanging round with him the best way of her keeping abreast of what was going on. This time though, if she was successful in rekindling their relationship, she was going to encourage Jimmy to be more open about them, so she had an excuse to hang around with Gibbs' team and determine if he was suspicious of her. Of course, that made her sound like a cold-hearted bitch, and she guessed that to some degree she was, because she was prepared to do whatever it took to keep her sister Amanda alive, even if it had meant killing Langer. Nevertheless, she still cared about Jimmy.

He was a real sweet guy when all was said and done, and she really didn't want to hurt him. She had never thought she was capable of doing what she had been forced to do. She'd even told Ziva before all this started not to tell her how she could beat a lie detector test because as an Officer of the Court she didn't wish to be compromised. Michelle chuckled bitterly. _Oh how holier than thou she'd been, before all of this began._

By habit more than anything, she silently entered Autopsy and didn't see Jimmy or Doctor Mallard anywhere. The legal officer thought that the autopsy assistant might be out back doing inventory, or the myriad of other things that were part of his duties, and so she slipped silently out the back just like she used to for their passion-filled assignations. If necessary, she could always leave a note in his locker, but it would be better to actually talk face to face about resuming their relationship. Unfortunately, there was no sign of Palmer and she decided to return after lunch and ask him to go somewhere for a drink after work. As she was moving stealthily across the room, she heard a voice and went to the door and peered out carefully, hoping that Jimmy had put in an appearance.

She gasped when she realized that Doctor Mallard had entered Autopsy and she watched the elderly ME sitting at one of the Autopsy tables as he listened to a spooky voice recording which she swiftly realized was the Cyber-Vid Killer. The whole building, not to mention the entire population of DC, was abuzz with talk about the lunatic.

_I have something very special planned for you, Agent Gibbs. _Michelle shivered at the chilling disembodied tone and words.

Doctor Mallard, meanwhile, seemed utterly engrossed as he leaned forward, questioning the voice in much the same fashion he interrogated his post mortem guests. "What do you have planned?" he asked the voice, his head was slightly cocked as if he expected to actually receive an answer.

"Well, I was hoping you could tell me…Duck." And then Gibbs appeared in that super creepy way he had of sneaking up on people that she found so freaky.

Lee remained still and silent, trying to keep her breathing light and regular so Gibbs wouldn't realize she was there. It would take some explaining if he found her in here, even if he wasn't suspicious already. If he was, well, it would definitely make matters worse. She could do this; it wasn't the first time she'd hidden down here when others were about, although it was the first time she'd been down here without Jimmy.

Somehow, that fact alone seemed to make the place much more creepier than she remembered. She refocused on the conversation taking place outside.

"This is a fascinating individual, Jethro."

Surprisingly, Gibbs seemed much more relaxed around the ME in private. "I can think of another word for him."

Doctor Mallard responded, "Crazy…Well, the precise term is Narcissistic Personality Disorder."

Much to Lee's astonishment, Gibbs actually chortled. "Oh yeah, well, I'm familiar with that, too," before exchanging a meaningful glance with his friend.

The good doctor chuckled, seeming to be very amused. "Yes, but where Agent DiNozzo has an excessive need for admiration, he has empathy as well. Something our killer lacks."

The team lead agreed. "It's all a game to him."

Their conversation about the Cyber-vid serial killer continued on, but Michelle stopped listening. Quite frankly, she was stunned. Had they really just suggested Special Agent DiNozzo had Narcissistic Personality Disorder like the killer? It was ludicrous.

While she definitely wasn't that shocked about Gibbs' opinion, all things considered, Doctor Mallard had a Masters Degree in Forensic Psychology. How could he honestly believe that for a minute? The man was NCIS's forensic profiler for heaven's sake? What did it say about the profiles he created if he was so off base about Tony DiNozzo?

The former field agent remained still and finally Gibbs departed, leaving the doctor alone. Soon Ducky disappeared into his office to make a cup of his precious Earl Grey tea, although he didn't mainline it like Gibbs did his coffee. He seemed to actually enjoy the ritual of tea making almost as much as the imbibing of the beverage itself. Lee took her chance and slipped out, relieved to have escaped detection.

Michelle returned to her office and continued to work on the current slew of search warrants which the various field agents required to continue with their investigations. While some of them pertained to routine or cold cases, many were urgent and were required ASAP, so she worked swiftly and diligently, ensuring that everything was in apple pie order and ready to be taken down to a judge for a signature. She would send the pile of warrants off to one of the probie paralegals, who would in turn ferry the warrants down to the court house. She smirked, recalling how during her own probationary period she had been on the Probie Run, too, and how long it often took for a judge to sign off on every warrant. The probies all hated it when they had warrants pending for Gibbs' team because he would take great delight in torturing them, although when it was urgent, Tony often would run the warrant down to the judge personally, using his considerable charm to speed things up. Or he would use his vast network of contacts to help expedite the process if one of the junior team members was instructed to get it signed.

Sighing with relief, she gathered the pile of completed warrants and placed them in the in-box of the probie who was rostered on to do the Probie Run today before she returned to her desk to fetch her handbag and jacket. It was lunch time and ever since Michelle had first met Lieutenant Commander Faith Coleman from the Judge Advocate General's Corps, they'd hit it off and formed a firm friendship. Once a week without fail they would go to lunch together. She would go eat at JAG HQ in the Navy Yard or the Lieutenant Commander would come to NCIS. Sometimes they'd leave the Navy Yard and head out to one of the many local eateries where they'd try out an ethnic smorgasbord of cuisines, since both of them possessed adventurous palates. Today, Faith was snowed under with preparation for an upcoming case so Michelle was meeting her at the JAG cafeteria to save time, and she was actually hungry for a change.


	2. Chapter 2

Rating: T

Disclosure; None of the NCIS characters are mine. I merely borrow them for entertainment purposes and gain no monetary gain from this story.

Warning: This is NOT a family friendly team fic. It contains some character analyses that may offend some fans especially of the L.J. Gibbs variety. If you think that you might be offended, you might want to skip this story. As usual this is Tony-centric and deals with psychological themes.

A/N Have to extend major thanks here to Arress for beta reading this story but also for the conversations that help shape the story and for her feedback as it evolved. Finally, I have give her credit for the title of the story. I had another one in mind but when she suggested it I couldn't resist. Thanks for hanging in on this one since you're a Gibbs fan. All errors are mine. Hope you enjoy :)

Thank-you to everyone for their support. Your reviews and alerts and favs and simply the amount of traffic generated by the first chapter was fantastic and indicates that like me, many people were genuinely upset about that particular conversation too. Just a heads up on the timeline. The first Chapter occurs after Tony comes back from the USS Seahawk but before the Domino situation (i.e. Cloak. ) Chapter 2 skips ahead six weeks and takes place after Michelle Lee's death.

Will the Real Narcissist Please Stand Up?

Chapter 2 Six weeks later

Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo shut down his computer and reached for his ID, badge and gun, slipping on his Armani suit jacket before calling a cheery farewell to the rest of the team. He was due to give evidence in the Court Martial of the Navy Officer, Lieutenant Rixon Wells, who they'd apprehended dealing designer drugs to sailors out of the Norfolk Naval Base a few months ago. After the drug overdose led to the death of a young female Petty Officer, Carly Webber, the MCRT had investigated extensively before finally setting their sights on Wells and his partner in crime, Ensign Jerry Kaderson. The drug overdose was apparently due to the pair cutting the designer drugs with some questionable substances to maximize their bottom line which resulted in some bad interactions. Fortunately, they had enough evidence to obtain warrants to search Wells and Kaderson's residences, and Tony and McGee had taken Ric Wells' apartment and Gibbs and Ziva had searched Kaderson's condo. In both cases, they'd found ample evidence to charge the pair with drug dealing and the death of PO Carly Webber.

Gibbs and Ziva had already testified in the Court Martial of the former Ensign Jerry Kaderson, who had been found guilty and was awaiting sentencing and dishonorable discharge, and now it was Wells' turn to face his own Court Martial proceedings as well. Tony and McGee were up for giving testimony today to help ensure that Carly Webber's family and fiancé received justice for the loss of their 23-year-old loved one. She had made a serious error in judgment, but still she didn't deserve to pay for it with her life. She was still so young, and the young frequently made foolish mistakes, Tony concluded as he made his way to JAG, where the hearing would take place. It was such a waste!

Tony knew that testifying at Military Tribunals and civilian legal proceedings was the least glamorous part of his job, and it was certainly nothing like the movies. Mostly it entailed a lot of waiting around to testify and not being able to talk to other witnesses, which Tony found really boring, especially as he was such a social being, but it was still an integral part of the job as they all recognized. Even Abby understood why it was necessary to dress up in her much despised court room Barbie outfit to help give credence to her forensic findings. It was just another facet of the job, but it didn't stop him finding the whole process essentially a bore. Tony's intelligence thrived on novelty and being challenged, which was why he loved field work and putting the pieces of an investigation together. Sighing, he pulled out his notebook which had details of his current cold case in it, as the Powers That Be frowned on them taking case files out of the office. Settling in to wait, he began to try and rearrange the clues to see if there was something that had been overlooked.

Tony was hopeful that he would be finished giving his testimony by lunchtime and Lieutenant Commander Faith Coleman, the prosecuting JAG lawyer, had slated McGee to testify that afternoon, along with a forensic accountant. The case seemed pretty straightforward and with Kaderson already convicted, Coleman was confident of a slam dunk. Tony hoped she was right, but his intuition was whispering that it wasn't going to be so easy. Perhaps his trepidation had something to do with Lieutenant Commander Howard Jefferies, who had taken to hanging around NCIS like a bad smell these last few weeks, his demeanor reminding Tony of a sneaky, scurrying rat. _Well okay, his beady brown eyes and sharp aquiline nose probably assisted somewhat to that mental image,_ he conceded.

Jefferies would always scuttle off when he saw any of the MCRT, which made Tony suspicious since he was the defense lawyer for Lieutenant Rixon Wells. Not liking the vibes he was getting off Jefferies, Tony had checked and triple checked all the evidence and reports hoping to find anything that might account for the JAG lawyer looking so damn smug, especially when he caught the man staring at him sometimes. Tony couldn't find any flaws in the evidence they'd collected, but he was still getting what Abby would term a real hinky feeling.

Finally, it was Tony's turn to give evidence against Lieutenant Wells and Faith Coleman led him carefully through the evidence that they had collected. After years of giving testimony, he knew enough to keep his answers short, clear and unambiguous. Faith had also done her usual thorough job of witness prep, and when he was finished he breathed a small sigh of relief. He knew that he still had to face the cross examination by Lieutenant Commander Jefferies and his intuition was screaming out that he was about to be ambushed, even if he couldn't see how there was anything wrong with their case.

As the JAG defense lawyer rose to begin his cross examination, he had a strange almost triumphant expression that made Tony feel queasy, and he wished he could rise out of his seat and move around. Staying still was not something he found particularly easy at the best of times, but the tension within him was rapidly escalating. With no other choice, he schooled himself not to show his discomfort, calling on his not inconsiderable undercover skills to assist him.

* * *

~ Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up? ~

* * *

Howard Jefferies had been waiting for this opportunity for weeks. His time in the Navy was up in less than three months, and he'd decided it was time to go into private practice as compensation for his years of service and poor recompense for his considerable skills as a lawyer. So far, he hadn't had the sort of job offers that he was hoping for, but he had high hopes that this particular case was going to put him on the map in the legal community. He was absolutely confident that he could pull off the coup of the decade, have Lieutenant Wells acquitted of all charges and become the darling of defense lawyers in DC and Virginia, maybe the whole country. He could already visualise the flood of job offers that would soon be coming his way, and he imagined the sophisticated condo and black BMW that he would own as a successful defense lawyer. It was time to be rewarded for all the years of naval service, and this case was going to make all his dreams come true; he could literally taste the success.

Lieutenant Commander Jefferies stood up and smoothed down his already immaculate Naval Whites before he faced Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo.

"Just for the sake of clarity, Special Agent, did I understand you to say that you were in the living room and your partner, Special Agent McGee, was searching the bedroom when you allegedly found the drugs and financial records?"

"Yes, that is correct," DiNozzo stated clearly and succinctly.

"And you said that you found the evidence hidden in the electric guitar amplifier?" the defense counselor asked.

"That's right, Lieutenant Commander."

"So can you tell the court why you decided to look inside the amplifier, Special Agent DiNozzo?"

"When I was growing up, I used to hide things inside my turntable and I've seen people hide things inside stereo speakers as well. It seemed an obvious place to check." Tony attempted to project an aura of calm confidence, but the hinky feeling was making him feel like he had dozens of grasshoppers all leaping around in his gut.

"I see. So what did you do when you allegedly found the evidence?"

"I alerted my partner, Special Agent McGee, and he immediately came out to the living room and together we documented the evidence."

"So there are no witnesses to testify that you did in fact find the drugs and financial information instead of planting the evidence in a clumsy attempt to frame my client?"

Tony was amazed that Jefferies was going to try the O.J. defense. He had to be pretty damned desperate.

"Absolutely not, I did not plant the drugs and records, and we found Lieutenant Wells' fingerprints and DNA on the evidence." Tony made sure he was calm and made eye contact with the jury.

Jefferies turned to the judge. "Move to strike, Your Honour. This witness is not qualified to testify about what forensic evidence, if any, was found on the drugs and records. He isn't certified in forensic analysis."

The judge agreed. "Sustained! The second part of that statement will be struck from the record and the jury will disregard it. You may continue, Lieutenant Commander."

Jefferies grinned. "It must be hard working on such a successful team as the Major Case Response Team with such talented teammates. Timothy McGee is a computer genius and Officer Ziva David is a highly regarded Mossad operative who is reported to be able to kill someone with just a paper clip. Then of course to be constantly in the shadow of such a legendary investigator as Leroy Jethro Gibbs, your boss, well it must be very difficult for someone like you, Special Agent, with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, to compete with your gifted teammates in order to receive the excessive amount of attention and admiration that you require with your disorder? Planting evidence would earn you the notice that you need to validate your position on the team. It must be even more difficult since your demotion from team leader back to Senior Field Agent. So where did you get the evidence you planted on my client, Lieutenant Wells?"

Tony stared at Faith Coleman, expecting her to object to the line of questioning, but was shocked to see that she was sitting at the prosecution table with a sick, frozen expression on her face. Deciding there'd be no help from that quarter, he decided it was up to him to dig them out of the ditch they seemed to be poised over, even if he didn't rightly see how they'd managed to end up there.

"First off, I did not nor have I ever planted evidence in a case that I've worked, and if it will expedite matters I am more than willing to take a polygraph test to that effect, and second of all, I resent the implication that I have any sort of personality disorder. That is a totally false and unfounded allegation. Finally, I don't know who did your research, but you will find a very cranky Mossad operative on your tail because she actually knows 18 different ways to kill with a paper clip." He smiled charmingly at the jury and was relieved to hear several chuckles.

The JAG lawyer ignored his last remark and smiled at Tony predatorily. "So it would shock you to discover that assertion about you not having NDP goes against that of your supervisory agent and the expert opinion of the NCIS Forensic Profiler, as well as your other teammates, who all consider you to have Narcissistic Personality Disorder? You know, Special Agent DiNozzo, you are a bit of a joke amongst your colleagues for your pathetic need to constantly garner the approval of your boss, and to a lesser degree, your colleagues."

Tony again looked at the frozen expression of the prosecuting counselor, who was still offering no objections to the line of questioning. "I would say that you're talking out of your butt, Lieutenant Commander."

"We'll see, I guess, Special Agent DiNozzo. We will see. I have no further questions for this witness, Your Honour."

"In that case, I think that we'll recess at this point for the luncheon break. We will reconvene at 1300 hours."

Tony waited until the court had emptied of people and then he stepped down off the witness stand and approached Faith Coleman. "What the hell was that all about? Why didn't you object? He was trying to impugn my professional reputation and ruin our case. And what the hell was all that crap about narcissism; do you know what the devil he was talking about?" He looked at the JAG lawyer and saw something bleak in her expression.

"What, Faith… what aren't you telling me?"

She spoke carefully, "It is possible that he somehow knows about a conversation between Gibbs and Dr. Mallard during the hunt for the Cyber-Vid killer where they were comparing you to him."

"Are you serious? There has to be some sort of mistake. They wouldn't do that. They're my teammates, they are like my family. You're wrong, Faith." Tony looked shattered.

Faith sighed, wishing that he was right, and knowing that this case that seemed such a slam dunk had suddenly gotten terribly complicated. DiNozzo was going to be devastated if it played out how she was suspecting. Yep, her friend, Michelle Lee, had been right about one thing at least. He'd definitely been dealt a crap hand in life!


	3. Chapter 3

Rating: T

Disclosure; None of the NCIS characters are mine. I merely borrow them for entertainment purposes and gain no monetary gain from this story.

Warning: This is NOT a family team fic. It contains some character analyses that may offend some fans especially of the L.J. Gibbs variety. If you think that you might be offended, you might want to skip this story. As usual this is Tony-centric and deals with psychological themes.

A/N Have to extend major thanks here to Arress for beta reading this story but also for the conversations that help shape the story and for her feedback as it evolved. Finally, I have give her credit for the title of the story. I had another one in mind but when she suggested it I couldn't resist. Thanks for hanging in there on this one since you're a Gibbs fan. All errors are mine. Hope you enjoy :)

Just a quick thank you again to everyone for their reviews, favs and everyone who is following me. Have to say that some of you have me in stitches with the reviews you leave me. Have you guys ever thought about writing parodies? Seriously, there should be an award for the funniest reviews. Finally, I would just say that Lt Commander Jefferies knows he is going to have to put his money where his mouth is. He is out to impress, after all. All will be revealed in coming chapters.

Warning: The next three chapters contain psychological analysis re diagnostic criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder but I have spread it out over 3 chapters so hopefully it won't put anyone off too much.

Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up?

Chapter 3

Faith Coleman had grabbed a quick sandwich and a bottle of iced green tea and raced straight back to her office to hit the phones, after counseling Tony to say nothing at this point to his team until they had more information on what was happening. On a personal level, she could understand exactly how he might want to go and rip into Dr. Mallard and Gibbs but they couldn't afford for the case to unravel any more than it had already and public displays of enmity or dissent could further jeopardize their case, and Tony had agreed that the case must take precedence. She admired his professionalism because she was currently flailing herself mightily for not leaping to her feet and objecting the moment that Howard had started down the NPD track as she should have. There was no excuse for her professional lapse, but he had completely broadsided her and Faith found herself flashing back to the lunch she shared with her friend, Michelle Lee, the last time they talked before her death. Her death had affected Faith deeply, but until she froze today in the Court Martial proceedings, she hadn't realized just how profoundly she had been affected.

She had planned on using Special Agent McGee to corroborate Tony's evidence about the search after lunch, but now she desperately needed to switch things around a bit. She managed to get her expert witness on designer drugs to come in next so she could try and do some damage control after the attempt this morning to discredit Tony and derail their case. She also called in a favor and got one of her colleagues who was acting second chair to stand in for her this afternoon in court, and he agreed to lead the questioning of her forensic accountant and designer drugs expert. Coleman had bigger fish to fry today and had set up an urgent meeting with two of the witnesses listed, who had been slated to give their testimony tomorrow. She had to get to the bottom of this and fast!

As she walked briskly across the Naval Yard towards NCIS, her mind wandered back painfully to that last lunch she shared with her friend, former Special Agent Michelle Lee. The NCIS legal officer was supposed to meet her for a picnic lunch the following week, but Faith had had to take a rain-check due to a court case, and then all Hell had broken out with Domino and the truth about Michelle's sister and Brett Langer's death had come out. In the blink of an eye, her friend Michelle Lee was dead; dying stoically to bring down the man who had held Amanda Lee hostage for over eight months and forced her into choices that no sister, no surrogate mother, should be forced to make. Faith missed her so much and was devastated that her friend hadn't felt able to confide in her. She must have been in so much pain, so scared, so sickened about what she'd been forced to do, and yet Faith had seen no hint of it for their final lunch…

* * *

~Flashback Six Weeks Previously~

* * *

Faith was already sitting at a small table when Michelle arrived for their weekly luncheon date and they had opted for a quick bite in the JAG Cafeteria, so they both scrambled to make their selections before sitting down to eat. Thursdays were always one of the fairly safe days to dine here, as they usually had great vegetarian fare which both women appreciated if the meat dishes were too heavy for a productive afternoon of work. Today they had spinach and feta quiche and chili and both were always delicious. Faith opted for the chili and after much to-ing and fro-ing; Michelle decided she would have some too with extra guacamole and sour cream. She'd hit the treadmill in the gym later on, she decided, and impulsively snagged a piece of butter pecan pie with extra cream for dessert. Hell, she was going to be running for hours tonight, but she also knew that the stress she was experiencing 24/7 had her burning out her adrenal glands and she was actually losing a heap of weight as her metabolism kicked into overdrive.

She grinned apologetically at Faith. "Sorry, I'm starving. Haven't eaten properly for days," she said, knowing immediately she'd made a huge faux pas.

"How come?" Faith wanted to know. "You're not working for Gibbs anymore, Michelle. You ARE allowed to eat, sleep; Hell, you are even permitted to visit the head more than once every 24 hours these days. What have you got going on in the office that is so all fire important that you're skipping meals anyway?"

"Um, err, well, just heaps of paper work and performance appraisals and the usual, but the boss has been in a really crappy mood lately. " _Lee hoped her boss would forgive her for slandering her so unfairly, but what else could she do but lie. I mean, I can't exactly come out and say that some evil scumbag has kidnapped Mandy and is holding her hostage, so I've had been forced to commit treason and kill an NCIS agent in order to save her life?_ That would not be a smart move for any of them, even if it would be heaven to let someone share the burden for once.

Desperate to change the subject because she knew that Faith was scarily perceptive, especially when it came to people she cared about, Lee searched for something to talk about. Remembering the conversation she'd overheard while skulking around in Autopsy and her outrage, she reckoned it would be a perfect conversational gambit that would last them throughout lunch, especially since the Lieutenant Commander was well acquainted with all the principle players.

"So, Faith," she leapt right in before her friend could ask anymore awkward questions, "I overheard the most ludicrous conversation when Doctor Mallard and 'God' were discussing a serial killer's profile and what he would do next."

'God' was the code name that Lee had given Gibbs when she'd suddenly been drafted back onto the MCRT for a second time with the former Marine as her team leader six months before. The first time she'd found herself on the team courtesy of Director Shepard, she had been Anthony DiNozzo's probie. She grinned, relieved to see that Faith was definitely interested. In fact, even though she had locked horns with Gibbs on numerous occasions and was often exasperated to the point of justifiable homicide with the stubbornly arrogant investigator, Michelle was convinced that the JAG lawyer was a bit sweet on him. While many women seemed to find his silver hair and arctic blue eyes to be sexy, Lee just found them chilling, like a snake.

Skipping the bit about why she had been sneaking around in Autopsy, she proceeded to recount the conversation that had taken place between the two elder statesmen of NCIS. Faith listened intently, and when her friend finished in a fit of exacerbation she frowned.

"What's so earth shattering, Chelle; why the outrage?" Lee smirked at Faith's use of her special nickname.

"I'll tell you what's so earth shattering. It's pot and kettle, Faith."

"Okay, Chelle, not seeing it. Ducky is not narcissistic. Granted, he can be long-winded and boring at times. Well, at the most inopportune times, but that doesn't equate to NPD, Counselor."

At that point, Faith noticed one of her colleagues and sometime protagonists JAG lawyer, Lieutenant Commander Howard Jefferies leaving the cafeteria with an very excited expression on his face. She wondered what had him so fired up so much because ever since he'd announced he was leaving JAG in a few months, he seemed to have lost interest,only focusing on the future and how affluent he was going to be in private practice. As he left, Faith forgot about Howard and Faith refocused on her friend.

Michelle chuckled. "Not Doctor Mallard, doofus! I was talking about 'God.' He's got way more narcissistic traits than Tony and I think that I'm uniquely qualified to judge, since I've spent four months on each of their teams watching them lead and I can categorically state that Tony doesn't come anywhere near his mentor and he never will. He is not a narcissist, just a damned good actor, with some significant insecurities, I'll grant you."

Faith frowned. "Okay, not that I don't believe you or anything, but I've never thought of Gibbs in that way." She settled in, crossed her arms and stared at he friend. "So, Counselor, state your case."

Michelle took a moment to marshal her thoughts before launching into her argument, pleased that Faith Coleman was well and truly hooked and therefore distracted. It was a ploy she'd seen employed by Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo on more than one occasion when she'd been on his team and it worked a treat, even on JAG lawyers so it would seem.

"Well, first off, there are a number of criteria if you want to work off the DSM-IV classification for Narcissistic Personality Disorder."

Michelle knew that Faith would be familiar with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition, since it was often necessary to use it when defending clients if someone had a diagnosed mental disorder which was being used in someone's defense or to argue mitigation.

"To be properly diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, you would need to meet at least five of the diagnostic criteria as well as a differential diagnosis that ruled out any organic etiology for the behaviours. In fact, few people could be said to have no narcissistic tendencies whatsoever and some of those traits can also overlap other personality disorders as well, so to diagnose someone as having NPD you want to see evidence that most of the diagnostic criteria are met, not just a couple, okay?"

The Lieutenant Commander nodded, obviously impressed. "Damn, Ms. Lee, you sound like a freaking shrink, girl. What gives?"

Lee smirked both at the absence of her nickname and her friend's admiration. "I was a psych minor pre law and when I spent a summer clerking at the State Appeals Court before sitting my Bar Exam, Judge Hodges had an appeal against the conviction of a woman with NPD for second degree murder. I had to research the case and that also involved exhaustive research on Narcissistic Personality Disorder. So you see why I feel like I am able to assess both individuals, but hey, I'll happily make my case. Feel free to jump in with any observations since you know them both, although I think that you might have spent more time observing a certain silver haired, six foot ex-Marine."

Faith scowled and punched her friend on the arm, which was a more adult version of the girlish 'shuddup.'

"Okay, just get on with it. My break is up in 30 minutes and I'm intrigued now, so talk fast and forget the psycho-babble and legalese."

"Okay, Faith, point taken, even if that statement is sacrilege coming from an honest to god trial lawyer… So a person with NPD may take advantage of others in order to achieve his or her goals; basically they are interpersonally exploitative."

"Alright, Gibbs definitely does take advantage of his team to achieve his goal of solving a case," Faith stated earnestly. "I honestly don't think he believes that his team warrants a private life or even deserves to sleep or eat when he's working a case. He is also prepared to call in favours to get any advantage when he's obsessed with a case and he isn't exactly fussy about how he persuades people. "

The JAG lawyer thought about the various run-ins she'd had with the Marine over the years. "Coercion, blackmail; he even resorted to stalking me once during my personal time off and tried to bribe me with coffee. I got the distinct impression he thought he was being Mr. Suave and Charming. He usually just bludgeons whoever or whatever he wants through any obstacles in his way, and I had the distinct feeling he considered that my ass was his to use and abuse in order to close his cases. Not sure about DiNozzo, don't know him all that well, though he does enjoy messing with people."

She recalled his little crack about her missing one when she'd been compulsively sharpening her mug full of pencils, which had her checking them all frantically, only to discover he'd had been messing with her head because he was pissed off with her attitude during his interview.

Michelle nodded. "Agreed; I don't know how anyone can have a life outside of the MCRT with Gibbs as a boss, and he will ruthlessly use anything or anyone that can advance his goal. It isn't coincidence that none of them can maintain a long-term relationship, or even a short-term one for that matter. When Tony had the lead, he was always first in and last out, like Gibbs. Sometimes I don't think he ever went home at all, but he always made sure that we got at least some sleep when we were working a case and made sure everyone ate. He was very aware we had a life outside of work. Actually, he's pretty good at looking out for everybody; not so good at looking after himself, though. And although he does utilize a huge network of assets and contacts when he needs to, it is done in a quid pro quo manner and people seem more than happy to help, especially since he always acknowledges their help rather than taking them for granted…"

* * *

~end of flashback~

* * *

The JAG lawyer looked around and found herself at the entrance of NCIS, and she pushed her musings aside as she made her way to the security desk to show her ID and get her visitor security pass. After submitting to the necessary security measures that proved she wasn't trying to smuggle a bomb into the building or carrying some other type of terrorist threat, she proceeded to the conference room she had organized earlier. Not long after she entered the room, someone knocked and popped their head around the door, before a willowy ash blonde entered, carrying a file.

Faith smiled and extended her hand. "You must be Dr Faber? Thank you for coming in at such short notice. I'm Lieutenant Commander Faith Coleman from JAG, obviously. Shall we have a seat?"

Susan Faber, the NCIS Chief Psychologist sat down at the conference room table and looked at the lawyer expectantly.

"So, what exactly can I do for you, Lieutenant Commander? You mentioned that it had something to do with Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo and his testimony in court today." She cocked her eyebrow in typical therapist mode, inviting her companion to spill her guts and waited, knowing that silence was a very effective tool in persuading a reluctant participant to begin sharing. Almost automatically she noticed several tells, indicating that this woman was stressed, and also displaying body language consistent with guilt or conflict.

The lawyer steeled herself to begin. "First off, can you answer a question for me, Doctor? I was wondering if there was any basis to the claim that someone with Narcissistic Personality Disorder would be more likely to fabricate evidence to frame a suspect in order to gain attention and approval than a normal person."

The psychologist frowned in concentration as she considered the question. "I am not aware of any empirical studies that would answer that unequivocally, but I guess speaking from a purely hypothetical viewpoint, that it may be possible. But then again, Lieutenant Commander, nothing is impossible, as any competent lawyer will attest. So, what is this about?"

"Today under cross examination, my colleague, Lieutenant Commander Howard Jefferies, the JAG defense lawyer, accused Special Agent DiNozzo of planting evidence of drugs and financial records because of his need for excessive attention and approval due to his Narcissistic Personality Disorder."

"What? NPD… DiNozzo does not have NPD. Where the Hell did Jefferies get an idea like that?" The psychologist demanded. "Is he cognitively challenged?"

"I'm about to find out for sure where he got an idea like that and to answer the second question, he may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's not stupid either. He must think he's got something he can use. So, what you're saying is that we won't have a problem disputing the claim?"

The psychologist paused. "No… but it might come at some cost to Special Agent DiNozzo. He has on obsessive need to guard his privacy. He is my problem child, along with one other individual. Tony runs rings around every one of my psychologists every time he has Psych Evals or mandatory counseling sessions. But without a doubt I can assure you he doesn't have NDP. I can't say more without his written permission, but I'm not voiding any confidentiality in revealing what he doesn't have."

"Fair enough, Doctor. What if I told you that the people making the claims that he has NPD were made by a couple of individuals he trusts who are also crucial witnesses in the trial? How's he gonna hold up under the strain during the trial and how much pressure can I exert upon him in order to repair this totally FUBAR situation?"

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant Commander, but that is something that I cannot answer without permission from Special Agent DiNozzo."

"I can understand that, Doctor, but I think that he's going to need your assistance during this case. Can you at least keep an eye on him, please? I'm really concerned how this is going to affect him. I need him to hold it together for the trial."

"Alright, Counselor, I think I need to know what is going on, don't you?" Susan Faber was starting to get a bad feeling about the situation. She needed to be read in on this so she knew what she was dealing with.

Faith took a deep breath and decided to lay her cards and suspicions on the table. "I think that my colleague, Howard Jefferies, may have been eavesdropping on a conversation that took place between former Special Agent Michelle Lee and me. Lee was telling me about a conversation she heard take place where Dr. Mallard and Special Agent Gibbs likened Special Agent DiNozzo to the Cyber-Vid serial killer in that they both had NPD. I tried to tell Tony about it today after the cross examination, but he insisted that his team would never do that to him. While I hope that Tony is right about his team, Jefferies is not an incompetent lawyer. He would know that he needed more evidence than hearsay, especially now that Michelle is dead. So, I am assuming that he's found something." She took a breath and glanced at the psychologist who looked stricken.

"That can't be right, Lieutenant Commander. Dr. Mallard has a Master's degree in Forensic Psychology and is the NCIS Forensic Profiler. There's no way that he could believe that Special Agent DiNozzo has NPD; it simply isn't possible." She noticed a strange frozen expression on the lawyer's face. "What?"

Faith shook her head. "First off, how about we drop the formalities, Doctor? Call me Faith, because I suspect that we are going to be working closely together on this one."

"Fine, Faith, and please, do call me Susan," the NCIS Chief Psychologist interrupted, clearly disturbed by the turn that the meeting had taken.

"And as to what…well my friend Michelle had a similar reaction to yours." Faith continued sadly. "She was outraged that Dr. Mallard could claim such a ridiculous thing. She was very adamant that Tony… Special Agent DiNozzo didn't have NPD either. She took me point by point through the diagnostic criteria. Said it was a case of pot and kettle with regard to Special Agent Gibbs labeling his SFA as narcissistic, as she felt he met many more of the diagnostic criteria than his 2IC. I am feeling better with your expert opinion that DiNozzo doesn't meet the diagnostic criteria, but it's just that your words evoked some painful memories. That was the last time I spoke to her before her death, and I guess I'm also worried that it isn't going to be so easy to prove to a jury that Tony doesn't have NPD."

Susan nodded. "Yes, it is always much harder to prove something doesn't exist than to prove that it does." She smiled rather grimly at the lawyer, recognizing that this was going to get ugly. She laid a comforting hand on the lawyer's shoulder. "I'm also sorry for your loss."


	4. Chapter 4

Rating: T

Disclosure; None of the NCIS characters are mine. I merely borrow them for entertainment purposes and gain no monetary gain from this story.

Warning: This is NOT a family team fic. It contains some character analyses that may offend some fans especially of the L.J. Gibbs variety. If you think you might be offended, you might want to skip this story. As usual this is Tony-centric and deals with psychological themes.

A/N As the reality show hosts say , please give it up to Arress for her dedication above and beyond the call of duty for Beta reading this chapter with a face swollen with an abscess. Feel better soon girl ! Huge thank-you as ever. All errors are mine. Hope you enjoy :)

Just a quick thank you again to everyone for their reviews, favs and everyone who is following me. Just a reminder that while I love to respond to reviews individually, I have internet access issues and download restriction currently. To make up for not thanking reviewers personally, I try to make up for it by spending the time I would have spent answering reviewers, writing extra chapters and posting more frequently. Know that I read all reviews and appreciate your support

Warning: The next three chapters contain psychological analysis re diagnostic criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder but I have spread it out over 3 chapters so hopefully it won't put anyone off too much.

Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up?

Chapter 4

Dr. Susan Faber, NCIS Chief Psychologist, watched as Lieutenant Commander Faith Coleman of the JAG Corps wrote feverishly upon her legal pad, before glancing up and discovering the shrink watching her intently.

"Just making a list of things I need to attend to. I'm going to check and see if Jefferies requested the security tapes for Autopsy during that time frame, which would make sense. It's what I'd do if I was him."

"But, Faith, surely you would know if he'd done that?"

"Nope, not necessarily, Susan; it's a common legal ploy. Snow your opponent under with a mountain of paperwork and subpoenas to obscure what your trial strategy is. Howard is a pro when it comes to that game and even if I noticed that particular request, it wouldn't have registered. If there is hard evidence of that conversation, it explains why he is acting so cocky."

She felt a bad tension headache in the offing and stood up and went over to the water cooler and got a glass of water for herself and one for the psychologist who nodded appreciatively. Instead of sitting, she started striding around the room attempting to dispel the stress hormones that were rapidly building up as she contemplated this mess. Slam dunk indeed!

"Susan, not sure if this puts you in a difficult situation, but I was wondering how you'd feel about sitting in on the interviews I've booked with Special Agent Gibbs and Dr. Mallard? I have on my to-do list that I need an expert witness to testify that Tony doesn't have Narcissistic Personality Disorder, but I need someone who can help me plan trial strategies and advise me on what areas to play up or to try and avoid. I need someone in the know to give me an honest assessment about how this is going to play out and who knows everyone involved. Just tell me if it's going to be a problem and I'll bring in an outside psych consultant."

"I really think I have to be involved in this Faith. This is pretty explosive and if what you say is true, then I need to be on hand when you next interview Special Agent DiNozzo. This is going to hit him hard, as you have already alluded to. We are also going to have to bring in the Director on this soon as we confirm that the conversation did in fact take place. Horse and cart, Faith!"

The JAG lawyer nodded her agreement. Susan was right, she would need her help in breaking the news to DiNozzo because he wasn't going to take the news well. The last time he was in denial and it concerned her that Susan had volunteered to be on hand, as it meant that she thought she'd be needed and that was disturbing. While she'd always intended to ask the psychologist to be present when Faith broke the news to him, the fact that she'd offered to do so unsolicited spoke volumes about how Susan expected it to go down. Faith recalled something that Michelle had said at their last lunch together about how DiNozzo was always quick to blame himself when things went wrong…

~ Flashback six weeks previously ~

Michelle took another heaped forkful of her chili, ensuring that she also had some sour cream and guacamole, too. Moaning as the combination of flavors exploded in her mouth before taking a blissful bite of the home-baked corn bread, her enjoyment was very apparent. Most of the time, she was too stressed to enjoy food, wondering if Mandy was okay, but today here with Faith, she was distracted enough to actually enjoy her food, and she noticed Faith regarding her with tolerant amusement. She decided to get back on track.

"Well, this doesn't count because it is more of an observation really and not a part of the current diagnostic criteria, but it is interesting nonetheless. Narcissists tend to react negatively to criticism with rage, shame or humiliation. Gibbs reacts to criticism with his default emotional response of anger and no one does rage like the former Gunny can, while when Tony receives criticism, his reaction is usually one of guilt. Tony does guilty like no one I've ever met before. He's made it into an Olympic sport, torturing himself for things that he has no control over, like Agent Todd and Cassidy's death at the hands of terrorists. He doesn't get angry or humiliated or ashamed when criticized, he drowns in guilt.

The JAG lawyer interrupted. "Okay, Chelle, not going to disagree with you here. Gibbs definitely responds with a fury that rivals a mother elephant protecting her young calf whenever anyone has the temerity to criticize him. You take your life in your hands when you criticize him. I've personally been on the receiving end of that rage and its pretty damned scary, let me tell you. What else ya got?"

"Considering you go up the toughest legal protagonists and judges, that speaks volumes, Lieutenant Commander…Alright, well, let's go back to the "real" list of DSM IV diagnostic criteria; that they often have excessive feelings of self-importance and will exaggerate achievements and talents."

She studiously avoided looking at Faith. "Having seen the way Gibbs treated the last two Directors and every pettifogging lawyer and bureaucrat, politician… Need I say more? Apart from agreeing that Gibbs has that one in spades and Tony feels like everyone else is more important than him."

"Yeah, okay, I will concede that point; I am definitely seeing the whole grandiose sense of self-worth bit, but not willing to concede to the 'exaggerate achievements and talents' when it comes to Gibbs. But I will say that it is a lay-down-misere when it comes to the Jock, Chelle. DiNozzo is such a braggart and Gibbs is so totally self-effacing and modest. He's never once collected any of the five Meritorious Civilian Service Awards that he's won, but DiNozzo is always quick to steal his thunder and race up and collect them." Faith finished with a moue of distaste, when she noticed the frown on her friend's face. "You surely can disagree with that one, girl?"

Her friend regarded her exasperatedly. "First off, what have I told you about hanging round with that Aussie guy? What the heck is a lay-down-misere anyway?

"So-rry, it just means a bet I won't lose. It's from a card game called Five Hundred that Mic taught us all to play. We kinda became addicted to it." She was quiet as she remembered Lieutenant Commander Mic Brumby who started out at JAG as a short-term exchange officer, but ended up staying for three years and becoming a fixture. His death had hit them all hard.

Michelle shook her head at the sometimes colourful idioms that came out of her friend's mouth which were apparently commonplace 'downunder', but refocused on what they had been discussing.

"Faith, as a lawyer you should know that there is always two ways to spin something. By not turning up to receive those awards year after year, which you could also argue is pretty disrespectful to past and future recipients and the people that judge the award, it draws even more attention to the fact that he has won it than if he just went along and accepted it. And making Tony accept the award for him and try and soothe ruffled feathers, with granted his inappropriate humour, makes him seem like he wants to steal Gibbs' thunder. I think the truth of the matter is, he watching his boss' six and attempting to deflect the tension that always follows Gibbs' non-attendance. Tony's a people person and he knows how much it pisses people off when Gibbs thumbs his nose at the awards. So, he pisses them off at him instead."

"Wowser, Chelle, I never thought about it like that, but being a no show every single time certainly makes his awards that much more noteworthy. Everyone does make a big deal about it. Hell, we're talking about it! If he didn't want a fuss, it would make more sense just to show up and accept it with good grace. While I've always put it down to modesty, I guess it could also be interpreted as a backassed way of drawing attention to it. You'd make a great trial lawyer you know."

_Hmm, if only I'd gone down that track instead of joining NCIS – no don't go there, Michelle._

Michelle rolled her eyes. Instead, she tried to focus on the discussion at hand. "At least this year though, it shouldn't be a problem, since going off rogue on a case and not following procedure and also endangering a civilian as well as himself should definitely disqualify him from consideration.* I hope they give the MCSA to Tony since he shot the two kidnappers who were trying to kill Gibbs and the young girl and then dived into the Potomac to save Gibbs and the girl, who were trapped in the car and finally resuscitated them both, all with diminished lung capacity. He absolutely deserves it."

Faith tended to agree, but also knew that awards weren't always awarded on the basis of merit, which considering the name of the award was pretty darned ironic. Awards also had much to do with politics and machinations that mere mortals couldn't hope to comprehend.

"Next up is preoccupied with fantasies of success, power, beauty, intelligence, or ideal love. Well, that one's hard 'cause I think Gibbs considers himself to be successful and possesses power and you'd be hard pressed to argue that one apart from the fact he most definitely craves power. He also gets off on appearing to be smarter than everyone else around him; he's always sneaking round, gathering Intel on people that he actually cares about impressing, like his team or others that he wants to scare the crap out of. He delights in figuring things out about the case before his geeks do, but I don't know if that qualifies as narcissistic. I mean it is sort of, but it doesn't strictly meet the criteria nor does he seem obsessed with his own beauty, although he is not shy about using it under the right circumstances. He's certainly not blind to his sex appeal with women."

She cast a jaundiced eye at her friend before continuing. "But from what I've heard about him since being blown up and his retirement, he has totally idealized the love of his first wife and child. He refused to ever speak about her, or his daughter, for that matter. No one knew they existed until they found out by accident and he hasn't worked through his grief, even though they'd been gone for over a decade and a half. The scuttlebutt round the water cooler in the secretarial pool is that he'd completely idealized his wife to the point where he even married clones of her, which shock horror, all tanked and had him at the mercy of divorce lawyers and resulted in three alimonies."

She chuckled ironically, "Probably is one of the reasons why he despises the likes of you and me, Faith." She gave her friend a sympathetic look.

Coleman frowned, "What's the connection between narcissism and idealized love, Chelle?"

"Well, it's not cut and dried, Faith, but a narcissist tends to believe that their experiences and emotions are so much more intense or significant than all the rest of us mere mortals could ever experience. Not necessarily a conscious process, but a pervasive attitude that 'they' feel things more strongly. That they have the market cornered on true love and that we cannot truly understand the depth of their love, or in this case, the profoundness of their grief and loss. Narcissists also tend to be poor at emotional insight and working through grief …well, apart from the anger component of it that is, and processing grief is something that they struggle with. Often they just repress it and the object of the grief becomes more and more idealized over time."

"Ookaay, so what about DiNozzo? He's pretty obsessed with his looks. Any fantasies of power, success, intelligence or idealized love do you think?"

Michelle frowned. "Hard to say, Faith. I got the feeling like he's a pretty good actor, but he doesn't seem to be power hungry. Took a demotion with good grace for someone who made such an amazing team lead and he seems self-deprecating about his intelligence, neglects to mention his post grad training and plays up the Phys. Ed. component of the under grad degree, even when McGee constantly flaunts his own education. He might idealize his mother since she died when he was really little, but that would be a pretty normal thing for a child to do, even a little healthy maybe. So, while Gibbs earns a definite yes on that trait, I could only say a maybe for Tony, based upon his preoccupation with his looks. But in fairness, he isn't a gym junky or into cosmetic enhancements. Even McGee is probably more into the whole metrosexual male cosmetics and pedicures, etc. than DiNozzo, which is why I think it is more of an act. "

She started laughing, recalling Tim McGee's mishap with the teeth bleaching doohickey that he'd bought and then fallen asleep wearing. She couldn't resist sharing the anecdote with her buddy and they both dissolved into helpless giggles.

Pulling herself together she continued. "So, let's just move on and focus upon the big one – empathy. The criteria speaks of a lack of empathy and unwillingness to recognize or identify with the feelings and emotions of others. Tony is, if anything, too empathetic if that's possible; and it eats him up."

Faith scowled. "Gibbs certainly could do with an infusion of empathy. The way he works his team makes it plain he views you as a means to achieving a goal; mere cogs in a wheel."

The NCIS legal officer nodded. "True, but he does demonstrate empathy with a certain subset of individuals who are victims of crime or children, although I personally believe it's because he identifies with them. That they are special and he seems to feel that only he is capable of doing so. If the rest of the team wants to eat or sleep while working the case, it's because he's the only 'one' that really cares about the victim and their family. I found it a pretty damned egocentric attitude to be honest, not to mention hypocritical. I've seen him get in Tony's face for eating something on the run and he'll send him off hungry, then turn around and snitch his meal. Yet, he doesn't seem to think it might be a double standard for him to go off on his frequent coffee runs while they have an unsolved case."

She couldn't help remembering the indignation that she had felt being subject to his whims and rules that he constantly broke, even when he expected his team to follow them without deviation.

"So, Chelle, what else ya got?" Her friend interrupted her silent outrage.

"Mmm…Well, it will probably come as no surprise that someone with NPD needs constant attention and admiration, which you'll no doubt say that Tony engages in constantly; still to be fair, we're all social beings who crave attention. For Tony though, his childhood predisposed him to demand attention since he grew up in a home with two alcoholics as parents. He doesn't talk about them very much, or his childhood, but he has made it clear they both drank to excess and he was basically ignored and mostly forgotten. So, of course, he's going to want what he didn't get, but it is never enough because it doesn't come from his family. It doesn't mean he is a narcissist, just that his parents should be shot, and you're also going to say that Gibbs doesn't seek out attention and doesn't care what others think of him, aren't you?" Michelle looked over at her friend who nodded assent.

"Okay, probably not going to come as a huge shock that I'm going to disagree with you, Faith. At worst, he actively encourages the team and other agents to both fear and hero worship him, especially Abby and Tony, and at best, he doesn't discourage them. If he lost that hero worship from Abby and Tony, I think he would totally fall apart. Furthermore, he absolutely revels in his 'bastard' image and loves scaring the crap out of others and enjoys the reputation that he's earned; loves to quote the 'second B for bastard' line. Hell, he totally gets off on it!"

"Its attention, just not positive attention like Tony seeks out with his loyal Saint Bernard behaviour, except with Tony if he can't get positive attention, he will settle for negative attention over being ignored. If you want to break him, all you need to do is give him the cold shoulder. But with 'God' I have to say that even his stubborn refusal to let go of his Marine-style hair cut is a way of singling himself out from the rest of NCIS and shouting out to all and sundry 'I am a Marine… one of the elite.' There are other former Marines and Seals that are working at NCIS, lots of them much more recently discharged than Gibbs, yet they don't sport the military hair style… He gets attention with that god-awful haircut."

She glanced at her friend and grimaced. "Sorry, Faith, being in the military you probably find it pretty hot." She laughed at the rosy blush creeping over her friend's features.

~end of flashback~

Faith Coleman became aware that someone was tapping her on the forearm and found herself gazing into a pair of grey-blue eyes that expressed concern.

"Hey, Faith, are you okay?"

"Sure, Susan, I guess I just zoned out there for a few minutes. Did you ask me something?"

"Yes, are you expecting someone 'cause they just knocked on the door?" the psychologist explained.

Faith jumped. "That'll be Dr Mallard."

A/N * Later in the episode Murder 2.0, incomprehensively when you take into account his failure to follow protocol in the Maddie Taylor case, which resulted in the endangerment of a civilian's life, Gibbs is awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Award for the sixth time. As usual, he didn't attend to collect his award and his senior field agent accepted it on his behalf.


	5. Chapter 5

Rating: T

Disclosure; None of the NCIS characters are mine. I merely borrow them for entertainment purposes and gain no monetary gain from this story.

Warning: This is NOT a family team fic. It contains some character analyses that may offend some fans especially of the L.J. Gibbs variety. If you think you might be offended, you might want to skip this story. As usual this is Tony-centric and deals with psychological themes.

A/N Thanks once again to Arress for the Beta for this chapter while still under the weather. All errors are mine. Hope you enjoy :)

Just a quick thank you again to everyone for their reviews, favs and everyone who is following me. Know that I read all reviews and appreciate your support.

Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up?

Chapter 5

The two women sat at the conference room table, staring at each other, preparing mentally for what was inevitably going to be a most difficult conversation with the venerable NCIS Medical Examiner for over a decade and a half. This whole business was extremely messy and was not going to bring credit upon certain individuals. Of that Faith Coleman was certain. She sighed heavily before calling for the dapper elderly Medical Examiner to enter. As he passed into the room, she noted that the youthful looking doctor was dressed in his normally sartorially splendiferous if eccentric fashion, and smiled wanly at him.

He looked at the two young women and raised a surprised eyebrow.

"Dr. Faber, Lieutenant Commander Coleman; I'd say that it was lovely to see you both again, but judging by your countenances and the fact that young Timothy was due to give evidence today and it has been rescheduled, I'm guessing that this isn't a social call. What has happened?"

"You're correct, Doctor. We were blindsided in court this morning and I've had to juggle my witnesses. My second chair is standing in for me this afternoon so I can try and assess the situation and do damage control. With that in mind, I'll cut right to the chase."

"Very wise, my dear. I find that is always the best policy. How can I help you?" the ME asked, gently.

"Do you remember having a conversation with Special Agent Gibbs about six weeks ago during the Cyber-Vid serial killer case that took place in Autopsy? You were listening to a recording of a message he had sent to Special Agent Gibbs and analysing it for him."

Ducky nodded. "Yes, my dear, I do recall that discussion."

Faith drew out a piece of paper with the transcript of what Michelle had told her she had heard of the conversation between Gibbs and Ducky. Even though it had been six weeks ago, she had thrown it together in her office before heading over here. Fortunately, she possessed an eidetic memory so provided that Michelle had reported the conversation faithfully, it was accurate.

"Could you check this, Doctor, and tell me if this is an accurate account of what you said in the first portion of the conversation?"

Ducky took the proffered sheet of paper and stared at the transcript.

_Cyber-Vid Killer: I have something very special planned for you Agent Gibbs. _(Dr. Mallard NCIS ME listening to a recording in Autopsy_.)_

Dr. Mallard: What do you have planned?

Special Agent Gibbs: Well, I was hoping you could tell me…Duck. (At that point SA Gibbs enters Autopsy.)

Dr. Mallard: This is a fascinating individual, Jethro.

SA Gibbs: I can think of another word for him.

Dr. Mallard: Crazy…Well, the precise term is Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

SA Gibbs: Oh yeah, well, I'm familiar with that, too.

Dr. Mallard: Yes, but where Agent DiNozzo has an excessive need for admiration, he has empathy as well. Something our killer lacks.

SA Gibbs: It's all a game to him…

"Well, my dear, it was six weeks ago, but I think that it is an accurate account of the first part of our discussion." He watched as both women winced and asked, "May I know what this has to do with young Timothy's testimony being postponed?"

Faith frowned. "In a moment, Doctor; can you confirm that this isn't the first time you have discussed Special Agent DiNozzo's supposedly narcissistic tendencies?"

She noticed the strange looks she was getting from the psychologist and the medical examiner.

"Why, yes, how did you know that?" Ducky was looking increasingly puzzled.

"No names were mentioned, yet you knew exactly who Gibbs was referring to. Suggests to me that it wasn't the first time you've discussed it," she explained. "So who else knows about this diagnosis, Doctor?" she enquired, making air quotes when she spoke the word _diagnosis._

"Well, just the team I believe, Lieutenant Commander, but I'm afraid the term diagnosis is rather a misnomer. There was never a real diagnosis, more like a recurring joke, I'm afraid. Now, what does this have to do with the Lieutenant Wells court martial?" Ducky didn't have the benefit of Gibbs all-knowing gut, but he was still a perceptive person and he had felt the temperature in the room rapidly cooling and the looks of disapproval from the two young women in the conference room.

"Well, it seems that the team's running gag is now about to blow up in all our faces. My colleague, Lieutenant Commander Jefferies, accused Special Agent DiNozzo of planting the drugs and financial records he found in the guitar amplifier due to his need for excessive attention due to his Narcissistic Personality Disorder, which was why I rescheduled Special Agent McGee instead of putting him on the stand. Before the rest of the team testifies, I need to know what you are going to say under cross-examination about DiNozzo and his NPD." Faith glared at the elderly medical examiner, furious that this was happening.

"Oh, my goodness, it was said in jest, my dear. I never thought anyone would take it seriously."

Susan Faber had stayed mum during the previous interaction between the pair, but could stay silent no more. "Do you really believe that Anthony DiNozzo has NPD, Dr. Mallard, and if so, how is that possible in someone who has your level of psychological training and your years of forensic experience?" _Stay in control, Susan. Blowing up isn't going to help the situation._

The ME looked deeply bothered. "Well, no, Dr. Faber, of course not. How could I? Anthony may pretend to be shallow and obsessed with his own sense of importance, but it is obvious to everyone that it is just a very accomplished act by a very sensitive and private person."

"Are you sure about that, Ducky? The rest of the team; do they really know he is acting? And even if that is true, why would you, why would all of you choose to joke about him like that. It is cruel and disrespectful. Apart from which…" The psychologist made no attempt to hide her disapproval as she found herself unable to find words.

"Of course, I am sure, Susan," he paused as something obviously occurred to him. "Although one of Jethro's dictums is to never assume, but really the team are all crack investigators in the premier MCRT. They surely must all know that. Anthony hides behind his multiple facades; they are like his family. And as to the why, my dear, I am ashamed to say it, but I don't have an excuse… there isn't one, is there? All I can say is that somehow it became acceptable to use Anthony to be the butt of all jokes and relieve the tension and stress that comes with working on Gibbs' team.

"You're right, Ducky, there is no excuse and there are many other methods of dealing with stress that are healthier and don't involve belittling and harming a teammate," the psychologist countered, not even trying to keep the condemnation out of her voice.

"Yes, it is utterly reprehensible and inexcusable and… but wait a second, you said that the defense lawyer accused Anthony of planting evidence and having NPD?"

He raised remorseful cornflower blue eyes to stare at the JAG officer and when she nodded assent to his question, he crumpled in distress.

"Oh, my heavens, what have I done? There's no fool like an old fool, Tell me, does he know who is responsible, my dear?"

"Yes, Dr. Mallard, but he refused to believe it, although he didn't know… I didn't know that the whole team was involved. I think he's going to take the news extremely hard. It's not going to be easy and things are going to get messy in court."

Ducky looked horrified about the upcoming ordeal, as he no doubt imagined just how it would play out.

"Faith, you're going to require a high profile psychological expert with impeccable credibility to counter my stupid and ill-considered remarks. I think I might be able to help redeem myself just a little by calling in a few favours and getting Dr. Bill McStarr to testify that Anthony doesn't meet the criteria for NPD, and Jethro will need to testify to his agent's unimpeachable ethics."

Faith Coleman did a double take. "Wait, Doctor, you KNOW the television celebrity psychologist, Dr. Bill McStarr? You really think you can get him to testify? He has an enviable background in forensic psychology as well as his celebrity status, not to mention his association to Ochre Windspray, the Queen of talk shows. That would certainly have a lot of impact upon the opinions of the jury and go a long way to rehabilitate his reputation."

"I met him during a rather high profile case in Austin when we both were giving testimony many years ago. He asked me to act as a consultant on several cases he worked on, so I'm sure he would reciprocate the favour if I ask him."

The Chief Psychologist chimed in. "We're going to need a waiver signed by Tony to give his permission to release his records and also allow whoever testifies, to be able to discuss his case."

Ducky looked distressed, knowing how devastating Tony would find that particular situation. He was obsessively private, and while Gibbs used silence, grunts and scowls to keep everyone from getting close, Tony used volubility and inundating people with an overload of superficial information as a distraction, so they didn't notice that he didn't revealed anything deeply personal.

Faith interrupted his guilt trip, knowing that she needed to make clear what she needed from the Medical Examiner come forensic profiler.

"You do realize, Doctor, that I need you to testify about exactly why you would compare DiNozzo to the Cyber-Vid killer and that it was wrong to do so. I need you to show contrition and acknowledge your mistake. I know that it will be embarrassing to you professionally, but unless we do this, unless I can get Tony to sign that waiver, we could easily lose this case. And if that happens, any case that Tony has testified in or found evidence that can't be corroborated by a witness, is going to be questionable and subject to appeal. As difficult as it may be, Tony really can't afford not to expose himself, I'm afraid."

She looked at the devastated ME who suddenly looked every single one of his years; no longer boyish, his face looked strained and grey.

"Faith, my dear, it is my mea maxima culpa; therefore, I need to fix this."

Susan couldn't contain her anger. "You've got that right, Donald."

"My thoughts are not for my own reputation, but how this is going to impact on young Anthony. And not simply on a professional level, although for the lad his life is the job. Apart from the stripping away of his much guarded privacy and defense mechanisms, he's going to feel abandoned by his teammates who he regards as his surrogate family." Ducky exchanged a meaningful look with Susan Faber. "This could destroy him, I fear. Perhaps it would be best for me to tell him?"

Susan Faber looked at Faith. "I think that we probably need to do this together. He's going to need a lot of support to get through this and also deal with the trial. Tell me, Donald, apart from you and Gibbs, is it just Officer David and Special Agent McGee that are part of the joke about the NPD or are the de facto members of team Gibbs involved, too?"

"Um, well, not Mr. Palmer. The young man has rather an inappropriate sense of humour." He winced realizing, what he had said was a giant case of pot and kettle. "I guess though the real reason is he would have probably not found it funny that we were joking at Anthony's expense."

"Okay, then we should probably organize for Palmer and some field agents that he is comfortable with to be the nucleus of his support system through all this. He's going to feel betrayed by his team and won't want to accept any support from them. Any ideas on who they would be, Doctor?" Susan was busy scribbling notes on her clipboard.

Faith could tell that the knowledge that Ducky wouldn't be one of those people able to support him because he hurt and betrayed DiNozzo's trust, was weighing heavily upon the elderly medico's shoulders. Still, he was trying to focus on the question. "Well… there's Erik Balboa, he's known him ever since young Anthony joined us, almost eight years ago, and Cassandra Yates. She was Chris Pacci's probie who the lad was rather close to… I think she is stationed at the Pentagon, so she is still in DC… and perhaps young Nicola Jardine, too. She and Tony worked together a few times… the last time they went into the Green Zone in Baghdad on a case and Anthony had her six. And, of course, he and Mr. Palmer have become quite good chums."

The psychologist nodded. "We need to set that up and have someone with him when he wants to attend the case. It's important, and we also need to give Director Vance a sit rep soon. Should I get us an appointment, Faith, and do you want me to brief him or are you coming, too?"

"Both of us I think, Susan, and perhaps Dr. Mallard and Special Agent Gibbs should accompany us, too. Doctor, I'm gonna need Gibbs to take the stand to testify about his interrogation of Lieutenant Wells; therefore; he'll be cross-examined about your Autopsy discussion. I'll need him to man up that he was mistaken, that it was a joke and he needs to show contrition to the jury, too, I'm afraid. I guess we'd better get him up here and go through his testimony and then we can all head up to see the Director. After that, I suggest we meet with Special Agent DiNozzo." Faith stopped, aware that Susan Faber and Ducky were sending silent, alarmed glances at each other across the conference room table.

"What's wrong?" she questioned worriedly.

Susan and Ducky shared another enigmatic look before stating, "Rule 6."

"What's Rule 6?" the lawyer asked obviously exasperated.

"Rule 6 is one of Gibbs' most unbreakable rules, Faith. Gibbs never apologises, as it's a sign of weakness," Susan answered seriously.

"You're kidding, right? Please, tell me you're joking," she begged. _Oh my god, Houston, we have a problem. _Get his ass up here,NOW!"

A/N Mea maxima culpa is Latin for my most grievous mistake


	6. Chapter 6

A/N Thanks once again to Arress for the Beta for this chapter while still under the weather. All errors are mine. Hope you enjoy :)

Just a quick thank you again to everyone for their reviews, favs and everyone who is following me. Know that I read all reviews and appreciate your support.

Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up?

Chapter 6

Faith Coleman and her two colleagues, Dr. Donald Mallard ME and Chief Psychologist Susan Faber, all sat tensely awaiting the arrival of the infamous Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, lead agent of the most successful Major Case Response Team in NCIS.

Ducky was too distressed to indulge in one of his long-winded anecdotes, while Susan Faber was contemplating a spot on the wall opposite her, with an intensity that was rather disturbing, Faith decided distractedly. Her own expression was grim and she was struggling not to express her feelings, which all seemed to be negative ones.

The JAG lawyer found herself zoning out again as she thought about the case. _This really couldn't be happening, could it? This morning, stepping into the courtroom she was looking at a slam dunk case and now this… this debacle where Tony's team with their crappy treatment and disrespect for him had ultimately offered him up as a lamb for the slaughter. There was no way on earth she was going to be able to get him out of this unscathed, either psychologically or professionally. Dirt always stuck even if it was planted and she couldn't see a way out of this without taking casualties, primarily one Anthony DiNozzo._

_Now, she was faced with a crucial witness that she couldn't in all conscience not put on the stand, but he had the most dumb-assed rule she'd ever heard that apologies were a sign of weakness. How infantile was that sort of thought process for Pete's sake? It sounded like an individual that was afraid to take personal responsibility for their actions or to entertain the grown up concept that they weren't infallible. Now more than ever, she was starting to think that her dead friend's assertions that Gibbs was in fact a narcissist, was bang on the money. Faith closed her eyes, recalling that last lunch together and the end of their discussion that had resulted from the conversation between Ducky and Gibbs that fateful day…_

~Flashback six weeks previously~

They had been discussing how while DiNozzo seemed to be the classic attention seeking whore, Chelle had been equally adamant that stomping around scaring the crap out of people, stalking them and abusing them was equally a way to attract attention to one's self, albeit it an unorthodox one. Yet, once the point had been made it was really impossible to dismiss it. Leroy Jethro Gibbs had definitely earned himself a fearsome reputation alright

"Deep, Chelle, but yeah now you point it out, it does fly. Attention and need for recognition doesn't have to be all about adoration or positive attention. And there is definitely something in what you say about rigid individualism being an attempt to set one's self apart or to stand out from the crowd. In fact, the picture you paint could hold true for many a despot or cult leader, and I guess many of them would have strong narcissistic tendencies… So are there anymore or are we done? "

Lee nodded. "Yep, there is Ms. Virtue." It was one of Michelle's nicknames for her friend along with FHC (an anagram of faith, hope & charity) both plays on the rather old-fashion puritan name bestowed on her by her parents.

"A sense of entitlement, meaning they have unreasonable expectations of special treatment or automatic compliance with their expectations."

Michelle thought carefully before speaking. "Have to say that I can see this one applying to Gibbs, but not Tony, though. Gibbs automatically assumes that any cases that involve friends or family should be investigated by him and the team, even though it contravenes his precious Rule 10 of not getting emotionally involved. Not to mention it goes against Agency procedures and everything that is taught in law enforcement, and for good reason, too. That whole FUBAR situation where Gibbs almost drowned himself and his daughter's best friend would never have happened if he wasn't so emotionally invested."*

The seasoned JAG lawyer nodded ruefully. "True, and he does have a totally unreasonable expectation that everyone is going to jump when he wants something. Everyone at JAG will duck into the head just to avoid him if they get a heads up he's in the building, no pun intended. I've heard a lot of scuttlebutt about lots of ruffled feathers because Gibbs appropriated Dr. Mallard and Ms. Scuito for his team's use, expects them to drop everything when he wants results and just focus on the MCRT work because being his case it must be the most important or urgent."

Michelle nodded. "Fair cop on all that, Faith. He is also infamous for taking a deadline for forensic results or IT forensics and demanding that it be cut in half, if they're lucky. He has no reverence for the laws of physics and seems to think if he wants it badly enough, he can just demand it. One of these days, someone is going to challenge him on those methods in court and say he used undue pressure or influence to get a quick result which was flawed. I'm surprised we haven't been hit with that argument already, and frankly I'm not sure how you could defend against it since human error is always a factor, even if the alpha rate is usually miniscule with Abby Scuito."

Faith looked at her watch. "Hey, Chelle, feel like a bit of a stroll while we chat? Got a bit more time before I have to get back to the office, but I wouldn't mind stretching my legs a bit first, since I'll be desk bound for the rest of the day."

Lee nodded and jumped up to get rid of their trays and they both hurried out of the cafeteria and into the grounds of the Naval Yard as they began to stroll briskly, enjoying the feeling of sunlight and a gentle breeze that caressed their faces.

"Sooo, where were we, Chelly?"

"Well, I was going to say that there's one trait I don't feel qualified to comment upon for either man. That the person is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of them; that one is too hard to call for a number of reasons. For example, I mean people are envious of Tony with his looks and charm and especially the perception he is a rich kid who grew up with all the advantages that wealth can offer, even if it isn't true. Doesn't mean he fits or doesn't fit the criteria."

Faith knew that it wasn't cool to gossip about it but it was hard to resist. "Wait, you mean he isn't rolling in money?"

"Nuh uh. I overheard him and Scuito talking a few times when I was on his team. He was sent to RIMA when he was twelve and rarely saw his father. He bought his own car from jobs he worked after school and summer holidays and he put himself through college. I believe he's been essentially looking out for himself since he was twelve, or even longer probably. He was only eight when he lost his mother."

"Mmm, I see what you mean. And it wouldn't be a sign of psychopathology in his situation for him or even Gibbs to be envious of others that have a loving family then. I have to say that considering his childhood, he's done a pretty good job of bringing himself up then. Explains why he's such an in your face, look at me golden retriever type." She pursed her lips. "Okay, let's skip that one. What's next?"

Michelle grinned teasingly. "Oh, another no brainer! Shows arrogant, haughty behaviours or attitudes. What do you say, FHC?"

Faith laughed and soon Michelle joined in. "Well, you would say that seeing you code-named him 'God'," she teased. "But yeah, I don't think that one needs much debating except for DiNozzo. Wouldn't you think that with his people skills and ability to fit in undercover, that he fits that trait?" She noted the emphatic shake of her friend's head.

Without looking at her watch she started back toward JAG. "We done?"

"Almost done, Counselor; just one more criteria to go. That's a belief that he or she are 'special' and unique and therefore can only be understood by or associate with other special or high status people or institutions."

"Hmm… well, Gibbs certainly makes no secret of his extremely healthy self-image. Can't be accused of lacking in self-esteem and he seems to have few buddies, mostly Marines I'd hazard a guess. And he makes no bones about his contempt for other agencies… he's a bit of a lone wolf. Goes back to what you were saying about Gibbs and his ability to empathize, but only with other 'special' people who have lost a family member or a child or a kid who has lost a parent?" Her friend nodded earnestly. "So I'm guessing that the jock doesn't meet this one either?"

"I don't think so, Faith. I think that while he talks a good game, he doesn't think he's special. I think that it would be the opposite. Even when he's desperate for affirmation, when he gets it, at least on a professional level anyway, he always looks totally uncomfortable and tries to downplay it. At a guess I'd say he never had the chance to learn how to deal with praise growing up, which is sad. Means he rarely got any and how ironic is that; desperate to get it but not knowing how to cope with it when he receives it. Perhaps if people actually gave him his due instead of using him as a punching bag or wanting him to be the class clown to relieve their pressure and stress." She shook her head sadly.

"You sound like you have a crush on the guy, Chelle?"

"What? No, Faith, just feel sorry for him. He's been Gibbs' faithful Saint Bernard for over seven years and he is a damned good agent and life hasn't played fair." Lee couldn't tell her that as a surrogate mother to her baby sister, she felt a strong maternal leaning to her boyish former team leader that precluded any sexual feelings. Truth be told, she felt compassion for the fate he'd been dealt and she'd observed other females wanting to mother him, too, especially when he was injured. Amanda and herself might have lost their parents much too soon, but at least both of them knew with a deep surety that they had been loved and cherished by their mother and father. Somehow she didn't think that Tony had experienced unconditional love from his.

"So, by my reckoning, Gibbs meets at least six of the nine criteria and one that we don't know him well enough, to judge. There are also a couple of maybes with the excessive admiration and exaggeration of achievements and a grandiose sense of self, although personally you've sort of convinced me about them, too. Check?" Faith looked across to see tacit agreement on her friend's face. "And DiNozzo, I count perhaps two criteria met and a couple of maybes? So, I'm kinda seeing the kettle pot thing, Chelle."

"Yeah, well to be diagnosed as having a Narcissistic Personality Disorder based on the DSM IV criteria you would need to meet at least five of the criteria and maybes don't count, so you see why I was so furious with Dr. Mallard, who should damn well know better, especially since he knows DiNozzo better than I do. Gibbs more than meets enough of the criteria for NPD, so it isn't surprising that he sees Tony's need to be validated as being narcissism, especially when it takes focus away from him and his needs.

"Agreed, Ms. Lee! Gotta say that I would definitely have to think long and hard about putting Ducky up as an expert witness when it came to forensic profiling from now on based on this. Well… I'd better go back to work, I guess. How about we do the deli next week and find a spot by the river to have lunch? I'll pick up a picnic basket of gourmet treats."

"Sounds great, Faith, but why are you feeling so generous?"

Faith Colemen laughed as she hugged her friend goodbye. "Well, I reckon I owe you, Chelle. Next time my libido kicks in when I'm around 'God', I'll remember our talk. He might be a sexy son of a gun and I might have a weakness for blue eyes and the military type, but I don't want a relationship with a narcissist either. I do know one thing… that they never end well."

"That's true, Faith, unless the partner is or becomes co-dependent, which isn't a category that you would fit into. Not that a relationship between a narcissistic type and a co-dependent is healthy mind you, especially for the non-narcissistic. In fact, I suspect that contrary to Dr. Mallard's NPD 'diagnosis' that Tony is co-dependent, which explains why he puts up with all the shit Gibbs and the team dish out to him. It makes a whole lot more sense."

Faith frowned. "Okay, that has to wait 'til our next lunch, dearie. Thought co-dependence was to do with alcoholism and addiction. You're really broadening my horizons, girlfriend!"

The two friends waved and headed off to their respective work places.

~End of Flashback~

And that was the last time that Faith Coleman saw her friend, Special Agent Michelle Lee, alive. Just over a week later Michelle had been shot dead and little Amanda Lee, the sister no one had even known about, was finally safe. That was the only good thing to come out of the mess; that Amanda got to come home, even though it was to live with her aunt.

Now Michelle Lee was reviled as a traitor and murderer and there was no memorial or funeral for her, although Faith had attended the small private service that Michelle's Aunt and Amanda held, dressed in civvies for obvious reasons. Lieutenant Commander Coleman hated what Michelle had done in betraying her country, her vows at an Officer of the Court and that she had become a killer, but Faith her friend was not as harsh. Faith wished that Michelle had made other choices, and knowing how seriously her friend had taken her duties as an Officer of the Courts, she could only imagine exactly how costly the decision she'd been forced to make. How do you choose between your country and your little sister?

Lieutenant Commander Coleman understood that many people were justifiably angry with what Lee had done and how she had betrayed everyone. She got that they didn't want to try and understand her motives in betraying her agency and her country. She knew that trying to provide mitigation or to defend her in any way, was not welcome; she understood this, she really did. People wanted to put it behind them and try and move forward; they did not want to remember that the life of a little girl had been at stake and that if in a similar situation, they might have made equally bad choices themselves. It was easier to keep telling yourself that you would have made better, wiser, more patriotic choices.

Yet, plain old Faith Coleman, who knew Michelle, who knew how seriously she had taken her responsibilities, that Faith tried to grieve for her friend and wished that she could talk about her death with her colleagues, who were essentially her social support system. Of course this was impossible, she knew that, but still she had been trying to push all her grief down and it wasn't working. She felt her eyes filling with tears and she swiped them away angrily, knowing she needed to get a grip before Gibbs arrived. She jumped as a gentle hand was placed on her shoulder, and a bottle of water was offered by Susan Faber while Ducky offered a large, nicely starched white handkerchief.

Susan surprised her by offering, "It's okay to miss her, Faith. If you want to talk to someone about her later on, I'm here for you. I think that you might feel better if you could share your grief, and I get that it isn't something that you can easily discuss with your peers. That must be hard on you."

Faith looked at the psychologist, surprised that she had known so easily that Faith had become distracted by Michelle. While she was on the point of telling Susan she was fine, she remembered being frozen today in court when she should have been objecting to Howard's line of questioning. It was impacting on her ability to perform her duties, and Susan was right, she needed to talk to someone. The psychologist had been sympathetic and non-judgmental earlier on when she'd first talked about Michelle, and she already knew all the facts. Faith knew she needed to get her head on straight so that she could salvage this case.

Faith looked at Susan searchingly, seeing only empathy in her grey-blue eyes and she managed a small smile. "Thanks, Susan, I think that it might be a good idea."

*A/N We also see this sense of entitlement, meaning they have unreasonable expectations of special treatment or automatic compliance with their expectations again in later episodes where Gibbs investigates a murder concerning Shannon's mother Joanne in a murder case plus the investigation into Pedro Hernandez' children, Paloma Reynosa and Alejandro Rivera. He also supported Vance's decision to prevent Tony even speaking to his own Father when he was accused of murder let alone help investigate, procedural rule which as Arress observed recently, was also ignored by Vance when his brother-in-law was investigated for murder. Both his superiors seem to believe in the edict – Do as I say not as I do.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N Thanks once again to Arress for the Beta for this chapter while still under the weather. All errors are mine.

Just a quick thank you again to everyone for their reviews, favs and everyone who is following me. Know that I read all reviews and appreciate your support. Here is the long awaited showdown between Gibbs and Faith although things don't go quite to plan. Hope it was worth the wait :) Enjoy!

Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up?

Chapter 7

Special Agent Gibbs was livid. He was preparing to go into Interrogation Room 1 to interrogate the dirtbag they'd brought in for stabbing his wife to death, who had served as an officer aboard the USS Dwight Eisenhower. He was determined to get a confession that was ironclad and mean the husband would see the inside of a jail cell for a very long time. Gibbs reveled in the strategic challenge of interrogation; working out the weaknesses of an individual and then figuring out on the fly how to take advantage of those flaws to pummel a confession out of the pond scum that sat in that room. The fact that the Lieutenant had been five months pregnant at the time of the attack just made the crime that much more heinous, and he was desperate to get in there. Yet, as he was about to go in and play cat and mouse with the dirtbag, Ducky had called and insisted that he report to the conference room STAT.

So, Gibbs was pissed off. It wasn't that he minded the dirtbag being made to wait; hell could freeze over before he cared. Letting a suspect stew was a really sound psychological technique to soften them up before beginning an interrogation. Making them wait just increased their anxiety levels, and the physiological consequences of that anxiety always facilitated Gibbs in breaking them and obtaining a confession. But Gibbs had no issue with admitting that he was a goal directed kind of guy and once he had determined a certain objective which would be his next move, he didn't appreciate anyone or anything getting in his way. He hated with a passion bordering on obsession to be thwarted when he could practically taste the blood of the sleazoid sitting in the interrogation seat.

His agents knew damn well to never interrupt him in interrogation, and while he hadn't technically set foot into Interrogation Room 1, he was already in the zone mentally, and as far as he was concerned Ducky had broken one of his fundamental rules. So, yes, he was seriously pissed off. The medical examiner was just lucky he wasn't one of Gibbs' agents or he'd have ripped him a new one and then he would have ripped his entrails out, too. Duck had insisted that it was urgent that he get up to the conference room ASAP and he had to concede that Ducky sounded really strange, desperate and desolate all rolled into one. When he yelled at him, which was uncharacteristic in itself, to get his buttocks up there, the ME said something about it having to do with the Rixon Wells' court case. Since he was supposed to give his testimony tomorrow, he decided he'd better see what the hell was going on.

Now that he thought about it, McGee's postponement of his testimony by Lieutenant Commander Coleman was odd, and DiNozzo was also acting strange since he'd come back from giving his evidence. What the hell had gone wrong because clearly, something had? He barged through the door of the Conference Room without bothering to knock first. Gibbs never believed in following generally accepted rules of propriety; hell, he never really followed any rules unless they were his own, and he didn't possess any that said you needed to knock before entering a closed door. Mind you, he'd eviscerate anyone who dared to walk into a room that he was in if the door was closed, but that was different. He was different.

As he swept into the room with a trademark scowl on his face, angry that he been thwarted in his drive to close out the case and rip into the dirtbag in interrogation, he baulked when he saw an unexpected occupant. He'd been expected Faith Coleman and Ducky obviously, but what the hell was the Head head-shrinker doing here anyway? Someone, and that meant Duck, really should have given him a heads up that the psychologist was there, too, and he would be giving him a piece of his mind later.

Meanwhile, he was determined to get to the bottom of this and get back to what he should be focused on, which was putting away dirtbags and not playing footsie with the shrink. Never one to beat around the bush, he dispensed with greetings and plunged right in.

"What the devil is so all fire important that I had to interrupt an important interrogation with a killer, to come up here and chat to y'all?"

Ducky winced; knowing that Rule 22 was a particularly important one of Gibbs' rules, and breaking that rule would definitely mean that Jethro would not be a happy camper. He'd just have to suck it up, but still everyone else was going to feel the weight of his thwarted prey drive and that wouldn't be pleasant. Gibbs' social skills, especially with psychological and legal types, was notoriously AWOL, not that he was exactly Mr. Conviviality even at the best of times.

"Yes, yes, Jethro, we get that you are extremely busy, but unless you want to see another killer and drug dealer get off scot free, then you would be wise to take your umbrage and stuff it somewhere the sun does not shine."

Gibbs was shocked at what for Ducky was a reply that was verging on the profane, but his only indication of that was a slight widening of his eyes before examining the reactions of the JAG lawyer and the head-shrinker. Both of them looked startled, but not shocked, and that caused Gibbs to examine his friend more closely, and he could see that the ME was extremely distressed. Although Gibbs would never apologise as it was a sign of weakness, he decided to calm down a bit and find out what had his old friend in such a state. Ducky had a lifetime of experience, as evidenced by the fact that he had an analogy or anecdote for almost every occasion. He wasn't easily rattled, or at least he never usually showed it if he was; so this reaction was worrying to say the least.

Gibbs moved to the conference table and sank into a chair, glaring at his friend, but the heat had been turned down several degrees as he directed his gaze at the medical examiner.

"What have you got, Duck?"

Just as his friend was about to answer, there was an electronic beep from Lieutenant Commander Coleman's Blackberry, which Gibbs had learnt indicated that there was a message arriving that had been sent in text rather than a verbal one.

Wordlessly, the lawyer read the message before exchanging enigmatic stares with Ducky and Dr. Faber, before answering the unspoken question that hung in the air.

"That was my office and they've confirmed that Jefferies has subpoenaed the security logs from Autopsy for that day. So that's it! I guess we know for sure why he was so damned cocky today. Tony also mentioned to me last week that Howard had been hanging round NCIS and I would hazard a guess he's been digging more dirt. I also need to interview McGee, David and Scuito, too, I guess."

Ducky looked across at Gibbs. "Right Jethro, I think you should call Anthony immediately and have him continue interrogating the dirtbag you have sitting in Interrogation. And before you jump down my throat for suggesting it, we have a serious situation here and you and I are the only ones that can set it to rights." Gibbs leant forward and barely heard the last part of his speech. "At least I hope we can."

Before he could respond, Faith Coleman nodded in agreement. "We have a totally FUBAR situation here, Gunny, and we have 15 minutes to read you in before we have to go and brief Director Vance. Then we are going to be spending the next few hours strategizing about how we are going to try and fix this. I need your head in this game."

If there was one thing that Gibbs hated most, it was being out of the loop, and the other thing he hated almost as much was to have other people telling him his business. He was damned if he was going to tolerate either. Interrogation had become a substitute for his activity as a sniper, and he wasn't about to give up the adrenaline rush he experienced when he nailed his target.

"Tell me what has you all acting like a bunch of pantywaists and then I'll decide if and when I turn over interrogating a suspect to a subordinate. Now, unless ya want to keep Leon waiting, then I suggest you pull your heads outta your asses and tell me what's wrong."

Faith rolled her eyes at him in a manner that was reminiscent of DiNozzo and Gibbs found that irked him no end. He thrived on scaring the crap out of people, or at least pissing them off, and he noticed that the shrink was watching him with a gimlet eye as well. He really didn't know if he despised shrinks or lawyers more, and today he had to put up with both of them. This day was just getting better and better.

"Today in court, Special Agent DiNozzo was ambushed on the stand by Howard Jefferies, who I trust you know?" She glanced at Gibbs and when he nodded she continued. "Howard accused Tony of planting the drugs and financial records in the amplifier…"

"This is what has you all in a panic? I'm going back to interrogate a killer."

The diminutive medical examiner stood swiftly and propped himself against the door, effectively blocking his exit. "Sit down, you ass and listen!" he growled angrily.

Gibbs blinked in shock. Did Ducky just call him an ass? He looked at the two women in the room who were trying not to react at all, but Susan Faber couldn't control the gleam in her eyes, and Gibbs didn't know whether to be furious or to be concerned about his friend's mental state. He noted that Ducky nodded at Coleman imperceptivity to continue.

"It wasn't the accusation Gibbs, but the motivation behind it that he attempted to ascribe to DiNozzo. Howard accused him of doing it because he has Narcissistic Personality Disorder and is such an inferior agent to the rest of your team that he was desperate for the admiration and attention. Although DiNozzo obviously denied both charges, Jefferies claimed to have proof from his team that he has NPD. Dr. Faber here assures me that it isn't the case, that Tony is no more narcissistic than I am." She ignored the snort of derision and continued.

"But Jefferies has some damaging evidence that is probably going to sully Tony's reputation, and as you know, having the drugs and financial records accepted into evidence, is crucial in ensuring that Wells pays for his crimes. We can't convict him without Special Agent DiNozzo's testimony and the evidence."

"Still not seeing what has you all running for the lifeboats, though."

"Well, the problem is he is going to ambush upcoming witnesses with evidence that they believe DiNozzo has NPD, or is at the very least, a narcissist. By the way he was talking in court today, it's entirely possible that he thinks he has a good shot at getting them to say that they don't think he's up to the standard of the MCRT," Faith explained patiently.

"Not a lawyer, Counselor, but why don't you just discredit them before they have a chance to trash DiNozzo? Isn't that Trial Tactics 101?" he taunted her impatiently.

All he could think of was getting back to Lieutenant Baker's scumbag of a husband. The asshole didn't deserve a family and he could feel the rage building up at the injustice of such a slime bag like that, having a wife plus a baby on the way and he'd killed them, while someone like Gibbs would have done anything to save his own family, but had lost them anyway. He wanted to take out his rage on the excrement downstairs and these idiots were getting in his road. Later, he decided that had to be why he was so dense that he didn't see the trap Faith Coleman had laid and why he walked right into the ambush.

"Well, it isn't that simple, Gunny Gibbs. You see, if I discredit you and your team, then I also can't use your evidence to put Rixon Wells away for second degree murder and dealing of illicit substances. So you do see my dilemma, don't you? What do you suggest that I do?"

Gibbs felt as if the JAG lawyer had smashed him in the gut with a length of two by four. "What did you say?" he yelled. "What's this got to do with my team?" He looked across at Ducky, expecting him to tell him like he normally did, that this was not his fault and he shouldn't feel guilty. Instead the ME was holding his gaze and looking guilty, ashamed and even more importantly, making no attempt to absolve Gibbs like he usually did.

"Ducky, what the hell is going on?"

"The defense has gotten hold of an extremely intemperate conversation you and I had in Autopsy about the Cyber-Vid killer and our long-standing stupid joke about Anthony being a narcissist." Ducky looked shattered and Gibbs took a good look at the man, thinking that he was suddenly looking very old and tired.

"So, it was just a joke… well sorta. What's all the panic about?"

"Well, maybe the fact that we have been stupid enough and cruel enough to carry on this joking for years. It implies that we all believe he is a narcissist, and as these two astute young women have pointed out, are we certain that the rest of the team knows it was just a joke? Do you? If they are on the stand and under oath, what are they going to say? What are you going to say about why you have been going behind his back for years with this childish joke?"

Faith jumped in. "It looks like Howard's been hanging round getting dirt on DiNozzo, looking to destroy his credibility since he found the evidence. My worry is that other people will likely have heard your team joking about DiNozzo and that makes it much more difficult to brush it aside as simply a bad joke. He's going to try and bury him, and if he's successful Wells will walk, and then any other cases where Special Agent DiNozzo's evidence has been crucial in securing a conviction will be subject to appeal."

Gibbs was pissed that this was happening. He wanted to be ripping Baker a new one, not playing tiddlywinks with a shrink and a lawyer. Damn DiNozzo for being such a damned narcissistic SOB with his expensive designer clothes and namby pamby hair products. The guy left himself open to the team joking about him; it wasn't his fault that they had a little fun at Tony's expense sometimes. His hand was itching from the intense longing for his palm to connect with DiNozzo's head, repeatedly and with vigor. If that dirtbag Wells got off because of Dinozzo, he was gonna wish he'd been wearing suits from Sears that was for damn sure. Yet, there was another thing that was bothering him, too.

"How the devil did that asshole find out about our private conversation anyway, Duck? It was a private conversation unless you blabbed to someone." He glared accusingly at the medical examiner.

Before Ducky could respond, Faith leapt into the breach. "You should know that there's no such thing as a private conversation at work, unless you are in the director's office with the security protocols activated, Gibbs. And you weren't alone that day. Special Agent Lee was there when you came in and she heard what you said. She was incensed that you were defaming Special Agent DiNozzo, and she was so upset that she told me about it when we met for lunch. I can only surmise that Jefferies overheard our conversation."

Gibbs started fuming. Lee had made a fool of him for four damned months and murdered his agent. Then to add insult to injury, he'd had to shoot her and leave her orphaned sister without her surrogate mother. And then he'd had to tell Amanda about her sister. He couldn't believe she was dead and still making his life a misery.

"That treasonous bitch, how dare she go creeping around and listening in to people's private conversations," he snarled before turning to Faith and yelling at her. "Damn jabbering females! Why do you all have to analyze and dissect every damn little detail? This is your fault, too…what are you gonna do to fix this- hey?"

He felt a stinging pain to the back of his head and despite his astonishment, he had the wherewithal to notice that the two female occupants were sitting with their mouths at half-mast and an expression of goofy disbelief in their eyes. He turned around to find his oldest friend at NCIS standing behind him.

"Did you just head slap me, Duck?" he growled furiously.

"Damn straight, Jethro. How dare you act like a great boorish bloody dick and blame everyone else for this mess but yourself? We caused it, not the unfortunate Ms. Lee, not Faith. WE DID! Knowing you, you'll be blaming young Anthony soon, if you haven't already." He noticed a flicker of something he accurately deciphered as culpability, and to the disbelief of everyone else in the room he delivered another forceful head slap ala Jethro Gibbs style to the back of the team leader's cranium.

"And you are a damned hypocrite, Leroy Jethro Gibbs! You sneak around here like some creepy wraith, listening in to everyone's private conversations and gathering together crumbs of gossip like they were Intel of National Security import just so you can create the illusion that the mighty L.J. Gibbs sees and knows all. How pathetic is it that you get your subordinates to search for data for you that you already possess, simply so you can add to the mystique that you cultivate so carefully as you one-up them when they are about to proudly reveal what they've found? You and your incessant, bloody childish mind-games!"

He continued with his diatribe apparently oblivious to the dangerous growling that was emanating from the Marine "How does it feel to be spied on like you spy on everyone else? It isn't so fun to be on the receiving end, is it? Karma comes back and bites you on the buttocks and it's long overdue. The pity is that poor Anthony is going to be destroyed because of your comeuppance… our comeuppance."

Gibbs couldn't believe it. Not only had Ducky head slapped him… twice no less, but he had also ended up getting right up close in Gibbs' face, his words delivered in a short sharp staccato and his eyes spitting fire. Despite being several inches shorter and having a considerable amount of extra mileage on the clock, he held his own against the furious Marine, before much to Gibbs' horror he collapsed in front of him, head in hands while Susan Faber rushed to get him some water.

"My god, Gibbs, what have we done?"


	8. Chapter 8

A/N Thanks once again to Arress for the Beta for this chapter. All errors are mine.

Just a quick thank you again to everyone for their reviews, favs and everyone who is following the story me. Know that I read all reviews and appreciate your support.

Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up?

Chapter 8

Faith Coleman rubbed her gritty eyes as she took a short break from reading all the reports and transcripts. She had team reports going back to when Anthony DiNozzo first joined NCIS, and she was examining every single agent who had been assigned to the team from that point onwards to see if they could be a potential character witness or a threat. She also needed to make sure that Howard Jefferies hadn't tried to contact them. She made a note on her legal pad and resolved that one of the juniors that she had helping with scut work at JAG could carry out this particular task. She also decided to set up a war room here at NCIS tonight to try and cover all the bases and get as many bodies as possible on this.

Jefferies had already pumped the junior team members of Team Gibbs without them tumbling to the fact they were being expertly milked for information. He had sent one of his subordinates, a Lieutenant Sacha Riviera, out to gather information, and as Faith picked up the relevant transcripts of the interviews she'd done earlier that afternoon, she honestly didn't know what to feel. Whether she should be disgusted with the pair of field agents for speaking without censoring their thoughts or stopping to consider the consequences, or furious because they were supposedly such hotshot members of the famous DC Major Case Response Team and gifted investigators, so how could they be so gullible? She figured that both emotions of anger and antipathy were warranted under the circumstances. She was also extremely relieved she'd discovered that they'd been compromised before putting either of them on the stand.

She looked at excerpts of Ziva's interview.

_Lt Cmdr FC: Can you tell me why your team jokes about Special Agent DiNozzo being a narcissist?_

_Off ZD: Well, because he is so annoying. He is totally focused on his looks and appearance and doesn't do his job adequately and needs us to cover for him. Gibbs is always head slapping him to try and get him to work like the rest of the team. _

_Lt Cmdr FC: So in your mind he is a narcissist?_

_Off ZD: Most certainly. When I was preparing his dossier before joining NCIS it was apparent that he was and I concluded that he used his family influence to gain his current position. While he has some skills, he has obviously reached the peak of his capabilities… _

_… He lacks leadership skills and clearly his superiors recognise this. He hasn't been promoted to a higher level within the Agency and holds onto his current because he's been here longer than others. There are others who would do a better job and have many more skills._

_Lt Cmdr FC: Such as yourself Officer David…_

_and_

_Lt Cmdr FC: Do you recognise any of these people? [Lt Cmdr FC shows ZD photos of Lt Cmdr Howard Jefferies & his staff members for the Lt Wells case.]_

_Off ZD: [Points to photo of Lieutenant Sacha Riveira] That woman attends my local gymnasium. _

_Lt Cmdr FC: Have you spoken to her?_

_Off ZD: We sometimes go for a coffee and a chat after working out._

_Lt Cmdr FC: What do you speak about?_

_Off ZD: Mostly work, she also has an annoying colleague and we bent about them [Note: ZD's first language is Hebrew. Suspect she actually meant to say vent not bent.]_

_Lt Cmdr FC: That annoying workmate would be Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo?_

_Off ZD: Well yes… Gibbs and McGee are not annoying…_

_Lt Cmdr FC: Anyone else you recognise in those photos Officer David?_

_Off ZD: The JAG lawyer – Jefferies. He has been hanging around the bull pen a lot lately. He was asking questions…_

Faith threw the transcript on the table wondering if Ziva David would be so willing to discuss her Mossad colleagues with a stranger as she was to 'bent' about Tony. Somehow she doubted it! The lawyer knew that she wouldn't be putting Ziva David on the witness stand to testify about the case or more importantly to be a character witness for Tony. Can anyone say 'jealous' her devil's advocate whispered in her ear? She picked up Special Agent McGee's interview transcript to see if there was something… anything she could work with. Her eyes immediately picking up the most salient bits as she skim read it once more.

_…Lt Cmdr FC: So you went on several dates with Sacha Riveira? [Lt Cmdr FC showed photo of Lt SR to McGee.]_

_SA TMcG: That's correct. We both write in our spare time and she wanted to get some writing tips and pointers about getting published…_

_…Lt Cmdr FC: So she talked about your Deep Six characters, is that correct?_

_SA TMcG: Yeah, she really liked L.J. Tibbs and Agent Tommy. Although she said that she thought they weren't very realistic. They would never get a job in a real federal agency._

_Lt Cmdr FC: I have to admit that I haven't read your books, Special Agent. Could you give me a summary of the two characters that she thought were unrealistic? Agent Tommy… let's start with him._

_SA TMcG: Well, he's a playboy, at least in his own mind, and comes from a privileged background. Not overly bright, typical ex -cop … more the jock type, ya know? Tommy's a bit of a narcissist, who is definitely all 'style over substance'. He is good at lightening the mood when the going gets tough, like a class clown… and he gets the undercover jobs because he doesn't have the technological savvy or the smarts for other roles. Plus, he has no trouble acting like a dirtbag…_

_…Lt Cmdr FC: So, Special Agent McGee, were you offended when she criticised your characters as being unbelievable?_

_SA McG: No, not really, because that pair is pretty unrealistic from a writer's point of view, so it was a fair observation. I explained that both the characters were close composites of individuals that really existed and that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. _

_Lt Cmdr FC: I thought it was your assertion that the books were works of fiction and not based on actual persons?_

_SA McG: Well, yes, all writers say that, but obviously as a writer, you are influenced by your own experiences to some degree…_

And

_Lt Cmdr FC: Would you ever lie on the stand, McGee?_

_SA McG: Never, Lieutenant Commander. I could never do that. I can't even lie to my mom._

_Lt Cmdr FC: That's what I thought… So, if someone asked you who Agent Tommy was based on, you couldn't lie and say it was a work of fiction?_

_SA McG: [McGee started coughing uncontrollably before finally stuttering.] Umm…ah…er…well, no. _

Faith chucked his interview transcript down, not bothering to read further. McGee had been comprehensively played by Riviera and he didn't even realise it. She was really glad that she hadn't put him on the stand today. That would have been a disaster.

Well, one thing was for sure, Ducky might be clear that Tony didn't have NPD, but she wasn't convinced of Gibbs' conviction on the matter. Or for that matter, his two junior agents who had served with him for a darned sight longer that Lee, who were obviously blind to the truth about their SFA. And these people were supposed to be brilliant investigators.

Disgusted, she went back to studying the list of personnel who had worked on Gibbs' team dating back to DiNozzo hiring on and she noticed something rather strange. Well, actually two things really. The first thing was that every one of the agents on Gibbs' team that had lasted longer than six months, with the exception of Tony, had all come to the MCRT from non-investigative law enforcement backgrounds. McGee was an IT specialist who had managed to get a gig at the Norfolk Naval Base Field Office and was utterly green, David was a spy and assassin, Todd had been a secret service agent, heck, even Stan Burley, who had been the second longest serving member of Team Gibbs before Tony had come along, had been a senator's aide for heaven's sake.

None of them knew the difference between a set of fingerprint brushes, a handheld UV light and taking laser measurements, forget about probable cause, chain-of-evidence and laser bullet trajectories. Even McGee, who had gone through FLETC, had absolutely no practical experience. While places on the premier MCRT were much sought after, Gibbs shunned agents who were eminently more qualified, knew what was what when it came to investigating crimes and crime scenes and had put in the hard years of effort that should have earned them a place on the team. Instead, he deliberately sought out individuals who were completely inexperienced in crime investigation and welcomed them to the team, despite their questionable right to be offered a position on such a high profile team.

Maybe that was why they had such little respect for the skills that Tony had developed as a police officer and then detective with three PDs, two of which were in extremely large cities with very high crime rates. Or why they had little concept of following the chain of command, if Chelle could be believed. It was very strange way to run a Major Case Response Team. Some people might say that while it was unorthodox to employ people who didn't have an investigative background over people who were much more qualified and wanting to work on the MCRT, it was still the most successful Major Case Response Team in the agency, and you don't mess with that. Faith, however, was always a glass half-full kinda gal and couldn't help wondering how much more successful the team could have been if they'd hired agents that had experience and skills in investigation.

That also led Faith to speculate on another related issue that had also struck her as definitely odd. The MCRT had an enviable, almost unbelievable, solve rate when Gibbs and Tony were the only two team members, yet when Gibbs had added to the team with his novice investigators, even after a couple of years of training, the additional members hadn't resulted in the team solve rate increasing even a little. Surely, having a profiler, an assassin/spy or a computer genius to call upon, should have reflected in some sort of increase in their solve rate, yet it hadn't. That seemed really strange to the JAG lawyer, and she decided to mention it to Susan when she got a chance and see if the Head Psychologist could shed some light on either situation.

Meanwhile, she decided to reread the transcript from Abby Scuito's interview. Not using her for testimony on this case, just like Dr. Mallard's evidence, was simply not an option so Faith hoped that she was not as clueless as David and McGee or they were sunk. She still needed to prep Gibbs for his turn in the witness stand tomorrow and try and get him to express contrition and break his unbreakable Rule 6. Yeah, good luck with that Counselor! Faith's devil's advocate admonished her cynically, and she couldn't help but agree.

_Lt Cmdr FC: So, you don't believe that Special Agent DiNozzo is a narcissist?_

_AS: [laughs uncontrollably]_

_Lt Cmdr FC: Could you answer the question please, Ms Scuito?_

_AS: Of course not. The idea is ridiculous._

_Lt Cmdr FC: The junior agents of the MCRT don't think it's ridiculous. _

_AS: They're pulling your leg, Lieutenant Commander. There's no way they can believe that. Tony is way too empathetic, too forgiving, too interested in what people around him are doing. He knows the names of not just the field agents, but just about everyone that works here, including the janitors and security staff and all about their families. Not to mention being friendly with the local LEOs, too._

_That superficial shit… OMG can I say that in an interview… well, I did say that didn't I… but am I allowed to say that? Well anyway, that superficial stuff is mostly an act to stop people getting too close to him. He doesn't trust people to get too close to him; always expecting them to let him down. But of course, we would never do that to him. We're a family, and family sticks together. We just have to convince him that we've always got his six, Bossman, Timmy, Ducky, Ziva, Jimmy and me and we'd do anything for him._

_Lt Cmdr FC: If that is the case, Ms Scuito, then why did you partake in the longstanding joke about him being a narcissist, which was going on behind his back by the rest of the team?_

_AS: I um… er… well. It's kinda been a long running joke for yonks and Gibbs has such an awesome smile and… he doesn't smile often enough and so when he teases Tony, it's like… well the best feeling and like your part of a really elite little group and… and that all seems pretty mean and stupid, I guess? No… I don't have a good reason. I've been a bad friend…_

_Lt Cmdr FC: For the record, Ms Scuito, can you explain the meaning of yonks? I am not familiar with that term._

_AS: [giggles uproariously] Oh yeah… it's an Aussie word…it means like a long time or ages. See, I started getting interested in the Gallipoli landing a while ago which was an amphibious landing by a bunch of Anzacs in World War One and I started building models and researching. And well I started to IM with the curator for the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. Well anyway, we talk a lot and I guess I've pick up a lot of the local lingo…_

Faith rolled her eyes while reading the transcript. She remembered how her use of Aussie slang and idioms she'd picked up by osmosis with Mick used to drive Michelle up the wall. It seems at every turn in this case, she was finding reminders of Michelle and it was taking its toll. She was definitely going to take Susan up on her offer of some informal grief counseling. She refocused on the transcript again.

_Lt Cmdr FC: So, you would be prepared to say that you don't believe he is a narcissist and that it was wrong to makes jokes behind his back in court when you're asked, Ms Scuito?_

_AS: In court? But Tony was never supposed to know about it. It will destroy him if he ever found out about that. There has to be another way, Faith…please do something… _

_Lt Cmdr FC: He already knows, Ms Scuito. Lt Commander Jefferies brought it up when he was on the stand this morning. We have to try and mitigate the damage to Special Agent DiNozzo's reputation and thereby the case, before Rixon Wells walks…_

Faith raised her eyes in silent supplication to the patron saint of witnesses, whoever they may be, and heaved a gigantic sigh that Abby Scuito was going to cooperate. She had a momentary mental picture of Howard trying to trap her into saying that DiNozzo was a narcissist. The much revered forensic scientist was obviously highly intelligent, as evidenced by her numerous degrees and post graduate diplomas and certifications, and could be extremely succinct when testifying on matters of a highly technical nature. Her interview today demonstrated that on less scientific subjects, however, she came across as utterly ditzy and it was hard to follow her leaps of logic. If Jefferies thought he could trap her into saying anything incriminating, he was in for an unpleasant shock. He and the jury would end up with one giant headache trying to follow her, of that much she was certain, mainly because even reading the transcript was giving her a tension headache.

So back to her 'problem child Gibbs' and how to get him to relax his stupid damned Rule 6, which was a crock if ever she'd heard one. Even the United States had to suck it up and apologise sometimes, even when it was the last thing the Government or Commander-In-Chief wanted to do. Faith recalled the tense meeting that had taken place up in the Director's Office and his displeasure.

~Flashback in the Director's Officer earlier~

Vance glared at them when the reason for their converging on them was explained succinctly by Faith. He had been furious and sent poisonous glances at his team leader, along with a few directed at the Medical Examiner, and muttered oaths about bringing back 'the damned frat boy' being a huge mistake. Faith figured he wasn't one of Tony's biggest fans and decided he wouldn't make a good character witness if she needed one. Perhaps Tom Morrow would be a better option? She could spin that… Vance being newly appointed in the Director's chair and the previous Director being deceased, Morrow had known and worked with him for four years. Yeah, that could work. She made a note to check Tony's file to see if Shepard had placed positive feedback on his record that could be used as well.

Finally, Vance after cussing out DiNozzo had ordered Gibbs to fix the damned mess he'd created and ordered him to turn over the interrogation of Lieutenant Baker's husband to Special Agent DiNozzo. Gibbs looked like he wanted to commit homicide at being forced to hand over the task. Instead, he argued the toss with the Director stating he was perfectly capable of handling both situations. Vance became icy, inquiring if he was refusing to follow a direct order and Gibbs acquiesced with really bad grace. Interestingly, despite his clear dislike of DiNozzo, Director Vance had confidence in his ability to effectively conduct an interrogation.

Clearly, as a senior field agent, DiNozzo was more than capable of handling the questioning. He had led the team effectively for four months several years ago, and had been a detective prior to joining the agency and gained a gold detective shield at an age rarely heard of. He'd also conducted a surprising amount of interrogations during his four-month stint deployed as Agent Afloat, as she was well aware, and had a high rate of convictions when compared to other Agents Afloat. So, he would have to have had conducted hundreds of interrogations over the years, and yet it seemed clear that the bulk of the MCRT interrogations were carried out by Gibbs. Faith had to wonder about that; was Gibbs such a control freak, such a micro-manager, that he couldn't delegate that task even to his super experienced, if not grossly overqualified, second in command? Stupid question, of course Gunny Gibbs was.

Yet, it was more than that; it was almost like an addict that was deprived of their latest hit and Gibbs was frustrated and anxious. She decided to ask the Head Psychologist what was that was all about. She really needed Gibbs' head to be in the game and not off up in interrogation.

Faith decided to reprioritise her interviews. Since Tony was conducting an interrogation, she would now conduct interviews with his teammates. She was pretty damned certain that Howard would have collected as much corroborating information as possible, and if she had been in his shoes, she would have targeted the other members of Tony's team. She also needed to do witness prep with Gibbs so that they worked out their strategy for his testimony tomorrow and the possible cross-examination questions he was likely to face tomorrow.

She knew that Howard would have done his homework on the Team Leader and focus on Rule 6 because again it was what any self-respecting lawyer defending their client would do. Finally, she needed to get Tony's release waiver so that Ducky's pinch hitter could verify Dr. Faber's opinion that Tony didn't have Narcissistic Personality Disorder. She was not looking forward to that particular meeting and was glad that Susan and Dr. Mallard were going to be there, too.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N Thanks once again to Arress for the Beta for this chapter. All errors are mine.

Just a quick thank you again to everyone for their reviews, favs and everyone who is following the story me. Know that I read all reviews and appreciate your support. Finally, if Patncis happens to read this, I just wanted to say thank-you for you amazing words of support.

Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up?

Chapter 9

Faith watched as a very pensive Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo entered the conference room. When he took in the fact that the NCIS Head Psychologist and Ducky were also present in the room, he seemed to close himself off as he adopted a blank professional expression. He stared at the JAG lawyer, nodding slightly as if to confirm that he knew what this meeting was about. She decided to break the ice as the atmosphere in the room was tense.

"Special Agent DiNozzo, have you completed your interrogations of Mr. Baker?"

Tony smiled gratefully at the JAG lawyer. "Yeah, he sang like the proverbial canary after a bit of persuasion. Should be a slam dunk, Lieutenant Commander," he grinned at her ironically, but she noticed that the smile was cold and far from his normally exuberant version.

"Don't worry, I didn't compromise it. All above board and done in the presence of his attorney and credible witnesses. It will stand up. I simply pointed out that we had the murder weapon with his prints on the knife and the next door neighbour saw him running out of the house at the approximate TOD and another witness heard him yelling at his wife and threatening to kill her a few days before her murder. He realised it would be better to admit what we already knew. I'm sure you'll get an easy conviction for this one, Faith."

Again Tony smiled and she realised that to anyone who didn't know him well, they would see an extremely smug professional, but even with her limited contact with the senior field agent, she could tell that the grin was fake by the words he had chosen.

Tony looked around the table and then back at Faith. "But, Lieutenant Commander, I'm sure that wasn't what you wanted to talk to me about. This is about what happened in court today, isn't it?" he asked his voice perfectly modulated and terribly expressionless.

Faith grimaced, more at the robotic-like quality of the special agent's tone and manner, before giving him a reluctant nod. "I'm sorry about what happened today, Tony. I'm afraid the Defence caught me totally off guard. I should have gone on the attack. I'm forming a strategy now and trying to estimate what Jefferies is planning. I'll do better tomorrow, I promise. If it's any consolation, your gut was spot on that he had something up his sleeve, and I've already discovered that he's targeted your teammates and other co-workers."

He nodded at her and glanced at Ducky, not revealing what he was feeling, and she could see how distraught the ME was. His remorse when he realised the extent of his transgression and its implications, had made it apparent how much he cared about the special agent. Ducky had also spoken about how he had come to view DiNozzo as family, so she knew how difficult this was going to be for both of them, and she wondered if anything could be salvaged from this mess. She couldn't help wondering why it was that family held so much power to hurt one another, even to destroy each other, and she felt indescribably sad for Tony who she knew had no real family apart from his teammates. How would he get through this?

She watched as the senior field agent maintained eye contact with the ME as he explained what had led to this morning's hijack of his reputation, and if she hadn't seen his reaction earlier today about the likelihood that he had been betrayed by his team, she would think that he was handling this well. But she had seen his outrage at the suggestion that his team would do this to him and the absolute conviction that it wasn't possible. She decided that her dead friend was right once again. He was really, really good at acting; no wonder he was so good undercover. She'd wager he was a heck of a poker player, too.

He nodded and smiled and said all the right things and it was an impressive performance, yet he maintained that somewhat robotic quality about him which was never more obvious when he responded to the news that not only had Ducky and Gibbs betrayed his trust with a few intemperate remarks, but his whole team had been joking about it for years. Perhaps the only tell apart from his utter lack of emotional response, was a slight quiver of his jaw muscles and his pallor.

Ducky finished up by saying, "I'm not sure what to say to you, Anthony, because I know that an apology isn't anywhere near to being good enough to even begin to fix this. Not sure what would be, and yet even knowing that an apology is a pathetic offering, I simply can't not offer one because that would be even more of an insult. It was completely inexcusable and I wish I could go back and do things differently. It seemed like harmless fun at the time, but it was cruel and unprofessional, especially since I more than anyone knew it to be a false premise and because I also knew how very wrong it is to joke about someone behind their back. A person who is important to me no less and who I regard as more than a friend, someone who is like family to me should not be treated in such a fashion. I am sorry, Anthony, I am so, so damned sorry."

Tony nodded and smiled sadly. "Thank you for the apology, Ducky, I do appreciate the sentiment and that you told me the truth. I know that it couldn't have been easy."

Ducky managed a watery smile. Like the two women, he noticed that Tony had thanked him for apologizing, but hadn't mentioned anything about forgiveness, but he couldn't fault the man for that. He wouldn't forgive him either if the shoe was on the other foot.

"No, it wasn't easy, Anthony, but then it is no more than I deserve and I know that as hard as it was for me, it was many times more painful for you, my boy. You definitely did not deserve this, which makes all of this so much harder to accept that I have caused you such pain."

Rather than the ubiquitous '_I'm fine', _a phrase which seemed to have been ingrained in him from childhood, Tony simply inclined his head in agreement. He looked over at the psychologist and then back at Faith.

"So, Dr. Faber, are you here today to help soften the bad news or maybe to help glue Humpty back together again? Or perhaps you're here to break the news that I really am a narcissist?" he questioned her tiredly.

She smiled at him. "Tony, if you are a narcissist then I'll come to work tomorrow in my birthday suit." She chuckled before continuing. "As to the other questions, I'm here if you need me to be, and since we both know what a run around you give my underlings, I won't be holding my breath about you turning up on my couch." She laughed at the surprised expression on his face.

"I may not have had the honour of dealing with you clinically, but you are one of two agents at NCIS who drive my colleagues to drink on a regular basis." She shook her head at him playfully. "How did you come to be so good at all the distraction and misdirection, Tony?"

He looked at her for a moment before replying with a shrug, "practise!"

Susan Faber nodded and dropped the topic. "Anyway, rather than a boring Government Psychologist taking the stand to testify that you are not a narcissist or have any type of personality disorder, the plan is to co-opt a celebrity witness to bury this idiotic accusation once and for all."

Tony winced at her comment and he looked across at Faith before she looked away, unable to cope with the truth she saw in his desolate green eyes.

The Head Psychologist continued, knowing that there had been tacit communication between the JAG lawyer and the special agent, but unable to tease out the meaning behind the nonverbal exchange.

"In order to do that, Tony, we need a signed waiver from you to release your personnel file including medical and psychological reports to Ducky's crony, Dr Bill McStarr. Once we open up that Pandora's Box on the witness stand, it leaves it open for Lieutenant Commander Jefferies to ask a lot of personal questions about you, which I know is not going to make you happy. I can't say I blame you, but if it's any consolation, Tony, I have to say that your psych records are particularly unenlightening. Never have I been happier than to have a file that is so generic, so blatantly bland and devoid of information, even if I am ashamed of my psychologists. You're way too good for the likes of them, even if I am fooling myself in thinking that you won't get past me so easily. You are quite the actor."

Tony sighed. "Thanks, I think, Doc." He looked incredibly sad. "Damned if I do, damned if I don't, Dr Faber; so where do I sign?" She passed him the appropriate papers and he signed them after reading them carefully.

The senior field agent closed his eyes briefly before engaging in another silent conversation with Faith. "Was there anything more, Lieutenant Commander?"

It was Coleman's turn to sigh deeply. "Tony, I know I have no right to ask you this because you have done nothing to deserve any of this and yet you're the one who is having to pay the price for this crappy situation. It is really important that Jefferies not know how much this has affected you…"

"Say no more, I get it. No sign of hurt feelings, no dissent amongst the ranks, just business as usual. Don't worry, Faith, there's a reason why I was so sought after to carry out undercover ops." Then before their eyes, Tony transformed like a computer image. Gone was the ultra-professional agent, gone was the slightly robotic quality, to be replaced with the college frat boy, cocky, wise-cracking agent who proceeded to regale them with as many film attributions as he could come up with about snaky lawyers. His goofy grin looked utterly genuine and he seemed completely comfortable in his skin.

"I can and will do this. Slam dunk right, Counsellor?" He winked at Faith who was absolutely floored by his transformation. "Do you need me for anything more right now? Otherwise, I have to finish my report on Commander Baker's murder. Dirtbags to put away, people."

He glanced at Faith and when she didn't protest he bowed, grinned in his usual charming and brash manner then departed from the conference room without further comment.

He returned before anyone could speak. "Do you wantta organise for that polygraph or should I? Under the circumstances, I would suggest we go with someone outside the agency like the FBI?"

"Good thinking, Tony; I'll get on it and organise it ASAP. I'll try and set it up for first thing in the morning I'll let you know when I do."

He nodded and departed without further comment.

Faith looked at the two other occupants and let out an expletive. "Crap, what the hell was that? That was creep! How does he do that, Susan?" she quizzed the psychologist who was also looking rather rattled by the freakish change in the special agent. When no answer was immediately forthcoming, Faith continued to ramble. "At the risk of sounding like DiNozzo, that was like something out of 'The Three Faces of Eve'."

Ducky shook his head. "There might seem to be similarities my dear, but the truth is that what you just witnessed was simply Anthony adopting a persona that he effects with such regularity he doesn't even need to think about it. That was his Very Special Agent guise that we saw. He wears it to work each day and takes off again at night as quickly as he sheds his expensive suits. The problem is that people, and I'm troubled to have to include his teammates in that category, apparently don't see that it is a mask he wears, that it isn't the real Anthony. He has a variety of masks that he uses and his ability to slip into different characters is why he excels undercover, but he definitely doesn't have a dissociative disorder. He is absolutely aware of his various guises and uses them to effect."

Susan Faber nodded. "What is tragic is that Tony feels like he needs to have a persona to protect him at work rather than just being himself, although perhaps not so shocking in light of what we've seen today. And what the heck was with you two anyway?" She turned to frown at Faith. "There was a complete non-verbal dialogue going on between you pair, along with various enigmatic comments" she glared at Faith. "What gives?"

~ Will the Real Narcissist Please Stand Up? ~

Tony made his way to his desk, eager to complete his report so that he could go home and lick his wounds in private. On his way to his desk though, he was waylaid by Eric Balboa who laid a hand on his shoulder. His eyes conveyed his sympathy.

"Hey, Tony, I heard what happened today. That sucks! I'm taking you out for a drink tonight and before you say anything, I'm not taking no for an answer."

Tony had a momentary flashback to the night he'd gone to Probie's apartment after he'd been charged with shooting that undercover cop and he'd tried to drag him out for a drink to cheer him up. Instant karma, no doubt! He closed his mind to the reason that Balboa was trying to cheer him up was because his team, his family thought he was a joke, a self-centred egotist. He couldn't afford to indulge in a pity party right now. There'd be plenty of time for all that after the trial concluded.

Trying to lighten the mood he quipped, "If I refuse, are you gonna tell me how when you were a Probie, you peed your pants?"

Balboa looked confused, but played along, "If that's what it takes, DiNozzo."

Tony sighed, "Okay, but I have a report to write first.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N Thanks once again to Arress for the Beta for this chapter. All errors are mine.

Just a quick thank you again to everyone for their reviews, favs and everyone who is following the story me. Know that I read all reviews and appreciate your support.

Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up?

Chapter 10

Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo stared at his two male companions as they sat around a small table drinking beer. He couldn't help thinking how surreal it was to be drinking with Black Lung and Eric Balboa, and the reason why he found himself here with this 'Odd Couple' stabbed his heart as he tried to act unaffected. Of anyone, Jimmy was probably the one that he was most likely to let his mask down with, but not here and not now. He knew that Balboa was a good guy and he'd known and admired him for years, but they were both alpha males and he didn't think he could ever have a heart baring confab with the lead agent. He did appreciate his support and he figured that if he needed some propping up during the court case, he'd be a good guy to have watching his six.

He'd found that Susan had put together a rag tag band of merry men and maidens to give him some much needed support as he came to terms with the fact that the people who were most important to him had been laughing at him behind his back for years. His father had always ridiculed him, but he'd thought his team was different. Sure, some of them, like Ducky and Abby, might have known that he wasn't really a narcissist, but didn't that actually make it worse, not better, to perpetuate the joke?

Obviously, Ziva and McGee weren't the investigators that they thought they were if they could be taken in by his frat boy act after so many years, and he'd known that on some level, although he'd never expected to find out that the whole team was laughing at him. That hurt! Gibbs, well he had liked to think that Gibbs was as good as his reputation and knew that Tony was so much more than he showed the world, but he would have also said that there was no way his boss, his partner of so many years, would treat him that way either.

Anyway, he had to admit that much as he wanted to go home and lick his wounds, he felt better knowing that he did have people that cared about him and were prepared to help him stand tall and get through the next few days. Apart from Jimmy and Balboa, he'd gotten an email from Cassie Yates and a text from Nikki wanting to meet up for pizza tonight. Balboa had cried off dinner, though, because he had to get home to his wife and kids, but had insisted on dragging him off for a drink and a pep talk, well as much as such a taciturn male could get peppy at any rate. Even though Tony hadn't want to go, he admitted that he felt better for the drink and company and wasn't so adverse to the notion of going out for pizza with the two federal agents and Jimmy.

They all left the bar together and Balboa grabbed his arm is a fierce forearm to forearm handshake before he crushed him into a classic Balboa bear-like hug that was extremely macho, which did make Tony feel strangely better, before the team lead clapped him on the shoulder and leaned in so Jimmy wouldn't hear.

"Don't forget; room on my team, DiNozzo, and if there isn't, I'll always make room."

Tony appreciated the sentiment even if he was pragmatic enough to know that he was tainted now. All the years he'd fought bribery and corruption within the police departments where he served, and the feds, too, only to be screwed over by his teammates. At least he'd put more than his fair share of dirtbags away over the years.

He wasn't sure what prompted the thought, whether it was the solitary drink, the fact that he actually relaxed with his very own Oscar and Felix, the contemplation of the end of his law enforcement career, or the prospect of eating pizza with two gorgeous agents, who seemingly cared enough to drag his ass off to dinner when he was at his lowest ebb. Whatever it was, his fury at Rixon Wells, Howard Jefferies, hell even Sasha Riviera, fired up his brain cells and something that had been niggling at him since he'd been on the stand this morning was finally lit.

Getting into his car with Jimmy in tow,he pulled out his phone going to speed dial one when he realised that there was no way he was going to call Gibbs about this. He'd talk to him about case related work stuff, but he was not discussing the trial with him, in any shape or form. The same went for everyone else on the team, so he was unsure who to call. Although the most obvious choice was Faith Coleman, Tony was still bothered by her behaviour in court today and didn't trust her to act upon his hunch. So that left him… he was trying to remember who was acting as Faith's second chair on the case, but he wasn't even sure he'd known. Finally, he realised that there was someone he could call to help him.

Putting down his phone, he pulled out his laptop which was stowed in his backpack and started it up. Once it was connected to the internet he typed away furiously searching for a number and looking up several people before he realised Jimmy was watching him awestruck.

"Does McGee know you can do that?"

"What? This? This is nothing, Jimmy."

"But does he know you can do stuff?"

"Who do you think did stuff before he and Cate came along? Sure as hell wasn't Gibbs, and Abby didn't have time to do anything but the complex stuff that was beyond me."

"So does McGee know what you can do?" Jimmy persisted.

"What's the point of getting a dog and then continuing to bark yourself, Black Lung?" Tony sounded totally disinterested.

"Wait, Gibbs knows about this, doesn't he?" Jimmy was almost pleading, although Tony wasn't sure why.

"Dunno Jimmy, doubt it. He's supremely disinterested in all thing technical, with computers on top of the heap. Not likely he'd notice unless it didn't get done and then my ass would have been in his crosshairs."

Jimmy was engaging in weird facial gymnastics. "I get why you would leave the cyber stuff to the geek, Tony, but why pretend to be a luddite like Gibbs?"

Tony sighed, thinking it sounded really dumb in light of what had happened today. "Because the guy had puked up in front of Gibbs and I felt sorry for him, okay? He was going on about computer geeky stuff and he was all puffed up so I made like I didn't understand him. Then he started talking 'bout his degrees and he lost his gawkiness. Like you do, Jimmy, when you talk about medicine, you stop tripping over your feet. So when he joined us for a few investigations and then was made permanent, what did ya want me to do?"

Palmer rolled his eyes. "Start worrying about yourself for a change and stop hiding your talents. I still don't see how all these crack investigators can be so dumb."

Tony sniggered and Jimmy looked puzzled. "Once I forgot myself and nearly gave the game away when Cate compared me to a porn star. When I asked her how she knew what he looked like, she claimed he'd been arrested. I jumped on the computer to see if she was telling the truth and forgot that I wasn't supposed to be able to touch type. Luckily, even when I figured out that she was lying, Cate and McGee never picked up that I could type." He smirked. "Ya know, Jimmy, as a profiler, Cate made a hell of a secret service agent," and started laughing full on.

He pulled out his phone and typed in the number he'd found and sent a text.

* * *

~ Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up? ~

* * *

The NCIS conference room was a hive of activity. Lieutenant Commander Faith Coleman had called in her Second Chair Matt Sorenson and all the ensigns that were floating around JAG without anything to do. Faith was trying to prep Gibbs for his cross-examination with limited success. Susan Faber was trying to help and Matt was working with Dr. Mallard, who was being much more co-operative than his colleague. Faith had the youngest ensign running back and forth from the closest Starbucks supplying Gibbs with coffee trying to keep him from turning feral.

Susan was writing notes on a legal bad as she watched Gibbs and Faith argue over what he needed to say when her cell phone beeped indicating an incoming text. She stepped out into the corridor to read it, surprised to see it was from T. DiNozzo, and she wondered how he'd gotten her number since she hadn't offered it to him. He had always led her psychologists a merry dance and his attitude seemed to make it plain that he wasn't a fan of psychotherapy, including talking therapies, so she really didn't expect to hear from him. His message was certainly enigmatic and she went back into the conference room and showed it to Faith who nodded.

"I'll ask!"

She waited until Gibbs had finished growling… err talking… and spoke. "The first time you joked about Special Agent DiNozzo having Narcissistic Personality Disorder, who came up with that label?"

The growl he delivered this time was even more scary and Faith was wishing that Ducky would head slap him again. She was becoming increasing fed up with him and his attitude and was longing for a gun. She stared at him pointedly and he shrugged.

"Mine."

Faith and Susan exchanged meaningful stares and Susan went to the other end of the room and interrupted Lieutenant Sorensen and Dr. Mallard.

"Excuse me, Ducky, but can you remember who came up with the joke about Tony and NPD?"

Ducky paused deep in thought. "I believe, my dear, it was Jethro, possibly a few months after Anthony joined us."

The psychologist stared at Ducky, who wondered what she was thinking and why she was using the psychotherapist favourite move of remaining silent, and then it dawned on him, too. "Oh, that's very clever, Susan. How would someone like Gibbs with an abhorrence of anything to do with emotions or psychology, come up with a diagnostic label like that? If anything, he would have used the term, narcissist or egotist or something far more crude."

"Exactly, Ducky, but I can't take the credit for it. Tony just sent me a text. I have to go and call him now." She slipped back outside the conference room and dialed DiNozzo's number.

"Hey, Tony, how did you know?"

"Hi, Doc! If Ducky didn't come up with that term, there's no way Gibbs did. It wasn't til I was having a drink with friends that I figured out what was bothering me all day and also remembered a co-incidence. So can you do your head shrink-thingy, Doc, and find out where he got that term?"

"Aw gee, DiNozzo, you sure know how to flatter a gal don't you?"

Yep, that's me. Crack him and I'll bring you a pizza, seafood marinara, I'm guessing."

"That's impressive. You hiding any profiling skills from your personnel file, Tony?"

"Now that would be telling, Doc," he demurred. "Eating now, but I'll see you a bit later."

After Susan had done what DiNozzo called her shrink thingy and she liked to call her highly skilled and empathetic talking therapy and what Gibbs informed her was stupid yabber, she finally managed to elicit a response from Gibbs that was more than a grunt or a growl. Eventually, he had cooperated enough to remember that he might have read that phrase in a file on DiNozzo, she had checked his file and found nothing there. Susan hoped that Tony had a rabbit to pull out of the hat when he came and she hoped it would be soon. She couldn't wait for a slice of marinara pizza either.

* * *

~ Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up? ~

* * *

Nikki and Cassie were fighting over the last slice of the lamb, spinach and feta cheese pizza while Jimmy was trying to encourage Tony to eat another slice of their carnivores offering. Tony wasn't really hungry, but he had a second slice to keep them all happy and ordered coffees for everyone after putting in an order for Susan's pizza and a couple of other generic varieties for anyone who was hanging around working on the case. Faith had mentioned earlier that it was all hands on deck. He realised he had zoned out when Nikki flapped her hand in front of his face, careful not to make physical contact since she'd used her last antibacterial wipe to clean up after eating.

"Sorry, Nikki, were you talking to me?"

"Yeah, Tony, I was just saying we have a roster for when you need a friendly shoulder to lean on during the hearing."

"That's real sweet, but I have to go in and play nice with the team, no sign of dissent, all just one big happy family with the favourite son ensconced in the bosom of his family." His voice had the slightest trace of bitterness and the trio exchanged meaningful glances, knowing that he wasn't handling everything as well as he pretended.

Cassie frowned at him. "All the more reason for us to support you, Tony; we'll get you through this. And I'm giving you the heads up; we're doing this no matter how much you whine, Mister."

She frowned even harder when she saw the stricken expression on Tony's face as he exchanged looks with Palmer. It was so damned 'Abby' that whole little speech of Cassie's, not the words so much but the intent and sentiment…Well apart from the ubiquitous 'mister' that was pure Abby and when he thought of her, he couldn't help remembering that she'd been laughing about him behind his back. That hurt…maybe even more than Gibbs, because he really thought they were friends.

He sighed, "Thanks Nikki, thanks Cassie, gratias tibi ago, Jimmy! I appreciate you guys dragging me down here when I wanted to go home and crawl into a hole." He knew that having someone who would come down to especially support him at court would feel weird, but it would sure be nice, and he looked at these people and wondered if he'd looked for a surrogate family in the wrong place. This group, apart from Jimmy and maybe Balboa, they didn't really know him that well, but they were there for him when the people that he had always considered to be his family had let him down. Perhaps he'd assumed wrongly, that propinquity was what made them like a family.

They sat around sipping coffee and talking about mundane things such as movies and music and when there was a lull in the conversation Tony took the opportunity to ask Nikki how that brother and sister were getting along in Baghdad. She smiled at him to tell him she appreciated him not blurting out her business and Nikki answered that Tabina and her brother, Jameel, had both sent her quite a few emails and were both practising their written English.

He smiled, glad to hear that they were well and that the little girl Tabina was learning English. They had become a part of Nikki's family, too.

"Your family okay, Nikki?" he asked innocently, knowing that she was probably as obsessively private as he was about anything personally.

"Yeah, thanks, Tony, he's well."

He knew that for someone in a coma, 'well' was a relative term, what with bedsores and upper respiratory infections – of which he had some idea thanks to a set of compromised lungs – but he could see that she was telling the truth that her brother was maintaining his status. He hoped for both their sakes, her Marine brother came out of his coma soon.

As they got ready to leave and settled up the bill, Tony picked up the pizzas and said goodbye to the two women before dragging the Gremlin to his car and heading back to the Navy Yard. He was wondering how Susan had got on with Gibbs. Tony had had a real hinky feeling in the pit of his stomach ever since he'd heard that damned term Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

* * *

~ Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up? ~

* * *

Susan saw that Tony had sent her a text telling her he was on his way up with her pizza. She decided to wait outside so she could speak to him in peace and quiet and warn him that Ducky and Gibbs were inside and the atmosphere was tense. Tense…oh, that was an understatement if ever she had heard one. Gibbs was in a foul mood, despite the almost continuous supply of coffee that was so strong it all but stood up without a mug. Indeed, the only way they could have increased his caffeine consumption would have been to have Dr. Mallard hook up an IV line and deliver it directly into his veins. But she knew that coffee wasn't really the issue.

What was causing so much resentment from Gibbs was that he was forced to rub shoulders with a bunch of lawyers and her -a psychologist – his bete noire to the tenth power. Worse, they were trying to tell him what to say and how to say it, and Susan really didn't think that he was convinced of what they were trying to get him to say. Although he had joked about his senior field agent having NPD, she wasn't convinced that he didn't actually believe the joke.

She saw Tony approaching with three boxes of pizza balanced in his arms and he nodded to her. "Top ones yours, Doc. Thought I'd better bring in a couple of spares."

"So very 'narcissistic' of you to think of hungry legal types, DiNozzo," she joked.

He looked at her seriously, "Speaking of, Susan… any luck with Gibbs?"

"Well, somewhat. Ducky claims it first started months after you did. Gibbs claims that he saw it in your file, but I know your medical and psych files backwards, Tony. There's nothing in there. Maybe it doesn't matter where he got it from."

"Oh, yeah, it matters, Doc, and I have a pretty good idea how this started. I need to talk to Gibbs."

The psychologist winced, imagining how that was going to play out. "Are you going to be okay to do that?"

"Not about me, Susan, it's about making sure that a family that lost their daughter doesn't have to watch the scum responsible for her death walk away without paying for what he's done. It would also mean that all this was for nothing, that they won, and if I have anything to say about this, it's not gonna happen. I've been thinking about this. Howard Jefferies is a real creep, but he's also a smart SOB, too. With this strategy, he either manages to sully the evidence because I've lost credibility, or by having Ducky, Gibbs and Abby having to admit that they were wrong to label me as NPD makes their credibility less authoritative when they have to testify on their own specialty."

Okay, Susan thought, we haven't exactly discussed that scenario, but now that Tony brought it up, it did seem rather obvious and she wondered if it had occurred to Faith. It was quite possible that she wasn't thinking as well as she normally did. She was struggling with unresolved grief issues and so Susan would be sure to mention it to her tonight. And clearly, after witnessing Special Agent Gibbs' reaction today, she wasn't the only one who was struggling over the death of Special Agent Lee. Susan made a mental note to find out who had signed off on Gibbs' mandatory counseling after he shot Michelle Lee as collateral damage to taking out Ted Bankston. She concentrated again on what Tony was saying.

"If I'm right about where Gibbs picked up the term, then we need to be prepared. We might be able to show mitigation and also get Jefferies so-called evidence out in the open before he has a chance to blind sight us."

Susan was curious, no, she was beyond curious, but before she could press him for more information, he opened the door and entered, throwing the two large pizzas down on the table and making some flippant remark about the pizza delivery boy. Susan dragged Faith away from Gibbs, using her seafood pizza as an excuse and beckoned Tony to join them.

"Tony thinks it's important to find out about the report. He wants to talk to Gibbs."

Faith looked at him, seeing the steely determination and wondered where he was going on this tangent, but Susan seemed to think it was worthwhile, too.

"Alright, Tony, but let me grab a slice of pizza for both of us. Maybe it will improve his sense of humour. God knows it could do with some rehabilitation. He is being obnoxious and obstreperous."

Tony sniggered. "Frankly my dears, he doesn't give a damn. Seriously, Faith, I'd be shocked if he wasn't acting obnoxious. He hates lawyers."


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks once again to Arress for the Beta for this chapter. All errors are mine.

Just a quick thank you again to everyone for their reviews, faves and everyone who is following the story me. Know that I read all reviews and appreciate your support.

A/N Apologies for the delay in posting this chapter. Technical issues which are hopefully ironed out :)

Just a reminder that my warning about Gibbs issued at the start of the story still stands. This chapter sees a long awaited confrontation between Gibbs and Tony. Let me also say that Tony may be OOC but I absolutely refuse to apologise if that is the case and n,o not because of Rule 6 but because of plot and character development. He has finally reached his boiling point! Beyond time if you ask me lol. For those readers who like one reviewer, felt that Gibb,s especially in chapter 7 (in the interrogation and pre- drive scene) was OOC I can assure you that you will find him equally OOC if not moreso in this chapter too, I respect your opinion but not surprisingly, do not agree. The model for both of these chapters was actually canon - a Season Eight episode entitled Two-Faced where his behaviour and attitude to Special Agent E.J. Barrett was outrageous and unprofessional, especially during interrogation. At some point he even admits to Ducky that on this case Barrett outranks him and yet does everything possible to undermine her in front of her colleagues, even in interrogation in the presence of a possible suspect. So if you find him OOC then perhaps you should watch that particular episode before making up your mind.

Hope you enjoy the next chapter :)

Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up?

Chapter 11

As he stepped into the conference room Tony could feel the tension in the room, and it didn't take a fortune teller to know who was responsible for the majority of the angst. Typically, the bastard with the double B in Gibbs was being a butthead, making this so much more difficult for everyone than it needed to be. The two pizzas were a welcome excuse for everyone to stop and take a break, which is exactly what they did, but the truth was they didn't have time to muck around since they were already behind the eight ball. Something or someone needed to be the ball and chain and go in and knock down the walls he had erected. Tony knew that despite the questioning by Shepard and Ziva David about his anatomical equipment, no one else had the cojones or the ability… well, at least in the immediate vicinity anyway, to bulldoze over the top of Gibbs. It had to be him.

There'd been a few times in the past when he'd done it, and he'd still lived to tell the tale and retain his job, but that was no longer an issue. He knew he'd promised Faith that there'd be no outward signs of dissent until after the proceedings were complete, but that was before this issue arose, and if his gut was right, it could be the evidence that they needed to kick that Jefferies jerk into the outfield and give Gibbs a face saving way of backing down in court, *if* they could get hold of the information and plan a counter attack. Time was not on their side and if he was going fall on his sword, (hell no, he'd well and truly been shafted onto the damned thing) then he wanted his pound of flesh. He wanted justice for Petty Officer Carly Weber. All of this pain and humiliation was a terrible cosmic joke and he couldn't come to terms with that, ever.

So, he was going to go in there naked, devoid of all his masks and let his inner self out of the box that he corralled it into pretty much all of the time. Few people would believe that he had a dark side that could equal Gibbs on his worst day, since Tony was always careful to keep it subjugated and extremely well concealed. While it was partly that he had always hero-worshiped Gibbs and wanted to make him proud of him because he thought of himself as Gibbs' protégé, it was also because Gibbs stirred in him feelings that were similar to those he had harboured for the longest time for his father. Gibbs shared some similar traits as Senior, but Tony had always considered him to be a more benign, kindlier version of his sperm donor. A more honourable man, whose approval, pride and recognition were attainable for Tony, when he had long ago abandoned any hope of achieving it with his father. Now, after this bitter lesson and the clear example displayed during the Domino Op, which was a clear indication that he didn't have the confidence or trust of the man he'd tried to please for the last seven something years, he was finally done. Desperate as he was for a raison d'etre, there was still only so much that he could…would take.

In a way finally accepting that like his father before him, Gibbs would never be satisfied by his efforts, his striving for perfection as defined by the Marine sniper turned NCIS investigator par excellence, it was in fact oddly freeing for Tony. For years he had consciously sacrificed much of what made him Tony, hidden under a series of guises designed to camouflage his multitude of imperfections, although he understood now it was never going to be enough for his mentor, and while he experienced a sense of crushing disappointment and sense of failure, it was liberating. So, he asked himself, _what worse consequence could there be in letting down his masks and defences?_

Tony put on his game face. He knew that he was about to burn his bridges with Leroy Jethro Gibbs, but he couldn't find it in himself to have any more regrets. Even if by some miracle some alternate universe type deus ex machina quirk of fate was to intercede right now and put things to rights, he was done with Gibbs and his team. He couldn't work for him or with any of them anymore. All those times when he had quelled his natural inclination to pack up his life and head out of Dodge were over. This time he would run, not walk, as fast and far away as he could.

He should have gone last year with Jeanne. Choosing this life and his so-called family over the woman who had loved him for essentially being who he was; that had been a monumental error. Oh sure, he'd lied about his identity and where he'd worked, but Anthony DiNardo was far closer to the real Anthony DiNozzo than the class clown and whipping boy that he'd played for Gibbs and his minions, and the first thing he would do when this was over would be to find her and tell her so.

He would also apologise for lying to her about his true feelings for her when she had asked. What the hell was he thinking, letting Ziva give him advice when it came to matters of the heart? An assassin giving him advice about the woman he had loved like no other? He would tell her exactly what she meant to him and how sorry he was to have deceived her so badly, both times.

Tell her that while he'd been lying to her when he'd told her he was a professor of filmography, in many other ways, the most important ways, he'd been less undercover with Jeanne that he'd been with his team mates, possibly more authentic than he'd been with anyone since his childhood. He didn't hide his intelligence with her. He'd helped her study for her paediatric examinations, discussed French and German films, been able to show her his goofy romantic side without feeling like she would use it against him. He'd trusted her enough to let himself go and cry the day he'd lost Paula, even if he lied by omission when he couldn't tell her why he was crying. He'd never even let down his defences like that with Wendy, let alone his team. And knowing what he did now, he was eternally grateful for that.

He was under no illusions that they could salvage what they had once had. Maybe they never had a chance from the day Jen Shepard ordered him to get close to the daughter of an arms dealer, but it was definitely too late now. Perhaps if he had had the courage to leave with her initially they might have stood a chance, but there was too much water under the bridge, yet maybe the truth could set them both free. At least he could start afresh with one less regretful recrimination on the ledger, and anyway ever since he followed Ziva David's stupid suggestion to be a man and lie to her about his true feelings, he had felt even more disgusted with himself, if that was even possible. Maybe confession would be cleansing, but in the end, whatever it was, it was the truth and they say that it could set you free, so he hoped it was the case.

Tony strode over to a seat that placed him directly opposite Gibbs and pulled out the chair, sitting down forcefully yet with a leonine grace. Every head in the room turned to observe him as he exuded an unexpected charismatic power, an almost imperceptible fury that fairly thrummed barely beneath the surface. Shockingly to many in the room, his own power-filled rage cancelled out, if not utterly eclipsed, Gibbs' Marine confident dominance that he projected, even if he was detested by most of the legal types in the room almost as much as he detested them.

Faith looked shocked, as she had always seen Tony as a rather submissive type, yet suddenly he seemed to tower over Gibbs, and she realised with surprise that he was actually taller than his boss, but somehow had the habit of standing or sitting, utilising body language that suggested submission. She wondered why she'd never noticed that before.

Susan was intrigued, suspecting that they were getting a very rare look into the innermost core of Tony's being. She had a feeling that Gibbs might just lose any true competition between them if push came to shove, and that he had sorely underestimated his young agent's force of personality, as had many others.

Tony glared at the man who until today had meant more to him than any other male in his life, even his miserable good-for-nothing, alcohol-worshiping father. He had been mentor, boss, friend, and most important of all, his family. Now he was less than nothing to Tony.

"Let's cut the crap, Gibbs. There's no way you came up with Narcissistic Personality Disorder off your own bat, so where did you get that term?"

"So, what, you're sayin' I'm stupid, DiNozzo?" Gibbs gave an infuriating smirk.

"You really think deflection is gonna work with me, Gibbs? We. Don't. Have. Time. For. Your. Shit. So spill it!"

"What gives you the right to talk to a superior like that? You should know I won't tolerate insubordination in members of my team, DiNozzo."

"Since the said superior," at this point Tony made air quotes as he said the word superior, "saw fit to engage in unprofessional, childish and grubby behaviour that has effectively spelled the end of my career as a cop or a federal agent. Since the 'superior' is being a superior ass-wipe and refusing to play nice with the very people who are also trying to put the dirtbags away, too, Boss."

The word Boss was spoken with much irony. "Nothing left to lose and no one to worry about pissing off anymore. So, for the last time, where did you come up with the NPD label, Special Agent Gibbs?"

"Can't remember!" he barked.

"Bullshit, Gibbs, you have a mind like a steel trap. You don't forget anything, ever! You might not bother, you might not care, but you don't forget. Stop pissing around and think about the parents who lost a daughter, think about the young man who was going to marry the love of his life. This isn't about you or me, it's about them getting justice for her death, and if you come out of this looking weak or dumb or like a three-headed chicken, it doesn't really matter. All that matters is that she has justice."

Tony pulled a report out of the file he had in front of him and threw it on the table in front of Gibbs. "This what you saw?"

Gibbs looked at it closely before answering. "Yeah, but the name's different."

Susan and Faith grabbed it and poured over it. It was a psychological report of an individual called Anton DeMarco detailing his anger management issues and the court mandated referral of the patient to the treatment program of a psychiatrist specialising in treating people with Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Susan looked across at Tony. "Why do you have a copy of this man's psychological report? Those records are supposed to be highly confidential."

Tony laughed sardonically. "S'alright, Doc, save your moral outrage, it's misplaced in this case. First off, I *am* Anton DeMarco and second, it's a fake psych report. I was working undercover when I was a cop in Philly. We were trying to convict a dirtbag psychiatrist who was a suspected sexual predator turned killer. He had a thing for men with NPD, so I got a crash course in narcissism and went into his inpatient treatment program to get the evidence to nail the sadistic bastard."

He directed his attention back at Gibbs. "So, when you saw this, it had my name on it? Get the damn thing! NOW," he ordered.

Gibbs looked at him shocked and annoyed.

"The file you acquired on my police career, including my unofficial file, which you keep locked in the bottom drawer of your desk, Gibbs. Don't look so shocked, I've always suspected it and then Chris slipped one night over a beer and told me you had him dig it up. Anyway, you don't think you and Ziva were the only ones to collect dossiers on their colleagues, do you? Yours made quite fascinating reading. No, not the official one, the real one; it seems that you have a real fondness for Mexico, don't ya, Boss? Even took a trip down south on family business before starting your career as a fed."

Tony was sadistically satisfied to see Gibbs lost for words, pale and sweating. Realising that Tony knew his MOAS*, and had from the very beginning, must be driving him crazy.

Faith was looking confused, as was every other person in the room. "I don't see how this relates to our case, Tony?"

"Because, Faith, if it has been altered and put into my personnel file, then 10 to 1 that Howard's got it, too, and we need to figure out what to do. It stands to reason that he'd try and dig dirt on me. I've got a call in to my old boss in Baltimore to see if that report was in my jacket when I joined BPD, which I very much doubt."

He scowled at Gibbs. "Thought you were going to get that file, Gibbs, or do you want your senior field agent to get it for you?"

Ducky had been watching the battle of wills with increasing dismay and decided to intervene. "Give me the key, Jethro, and I'll fetch it for you."

Gibbs handed him a small key and the medical examiner shot off, obviously glad of an errand to get him out of the room and the unbearable tension within.

Susan Faber decided to get the discussion back on track. "So, how and why would a fake report turn up in your Philly PD file, Tony, and what makes you think that it wasn't there when you went to Baltimore?"

"Someone would have said something when I was recruited, and if what I suspect about why it found its way into my file is correct, or at least into my unofficial file, which is what Gibbs got hold of is correct, it would explain why it was added after I moved. We know it's not in my regular file since you checked it already, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been handed a slot on the homicide table in Baltimore, Doc, although they do have the reputation of being the prima donnas of the detective division. And as to how and why, well someone with a beef against me obviously, but it would have needed to be someone who had access to the faked up psychological report. There is someone who could have done it, but I'm gonna sound pretty narcissistic for even coming up with this as possible motive. Trouble is, I can't think of any other individual with the means and motive to do so."

Tony thought back to all those years ago in Philadelphia. "Her name was Kristina Ferguson and she was a special agent on loan to the Philly PD from the BAU at the FBI. She was my handler for the undercover op and helped develop my persona for the mission. She wrote the psychological report and the court referral letter to the psychiatrist." He looked across at Susan and frowned.

"She was a real fruitcake, Doc, and she's partially to blame for my distrust of the head shrinkers."

Everyone was looking puzzled. "I don't understand how a fake psych report could get into your police personnel file or at least your unofficial file, or for that matter, why you have an unofficial one?" Susan probed as they all listened intently.

"With the amount of undercover ops someone like me has carried out, there's often medical or psychological issues that can occur during or after a case. Working cases for Vice for example, some of those injuries could be potentially damaging, like being shot up with LSD after my cover was blown. It's like you wouldn't find any details about his 'owies' incurred during his special ops days either," he pointed at a stony-faced Gibbs. "As to why the psych report was added to my special file in my name and not my cover name, I don't know, but I can certainly hypothesise.

~Flashback Philadelphia PD 1999~

"Yo, DiNozzo, the Loo wants your ass in her office yesterday." Detective Sergeant Kochner yelled across the bull pen as the preternaturally young detective sauntered through the doorway and made his way towards his desk. Ignoring the good-natured catcalls and joshing that were part and parcel of working with Philly's finest and changing direction, Tony knocked on the Loo's office door before receiving the go-ahead to enter. He noticed two things on entering, that Lieutenant Grace Wong looked calm, so he figured that he hadn't been called in to be disciplined for some infraction, and that she wasn't alone. A woman in her early thirties at a guess, who was all honey-blonde hair, tawny skinned and statuesque yet curvy in all the right places, checked him out appraisingly, and Tony felt like some prize racehorse. It was an experience that he was not exactly unaccustomed to, especially whenever it had anything to do with undercover work for Vice. Often appearances were an important feature of undercover jobs and getting into tricky places.

She nodded approvingly. "Oh, yes, he fits the profile perfectly, very nice." She crossed the floor, hand outstretched as she shook his hand. "FBI Special Agent Kristina Ferguson, nice to meet you, Detective DiNozzo." Her eyes openly expressing her lust as she went on to explain that they were after someone to go undercover in a treatment program and catch a serial killer who was targeting young males. It turned out that she was a profiler previously assigned to the Behavioural Analysis Unit of the FBI, but currently liaising with Philly in this operation.

Tony was initially about as keen to go undercover again as a missionary visiting with a tribe of cannibals, since he was still coming down off a case working undercover for Vice just a few days previously. He was often called upon to go undercover in vice operations, or recruited to the drug squad, too. At least this time he had been undercover as a pimp with a female cop as the sex worker for a change, but nevertheless, he was still trying to decompress and his sleep was still not regulated yet. His moods were still volatile and he needed another week or two to return to normal. Although he acted tough, his empathetic nature made it difficult for him to be around so many individuals who were in emotional pain and physical peril and stay in character. He was always rather depressed as he switched back to Detective DiNozzo mode rather than scumbag.

When Special Agent Ferguson explained that he would be attending an inpatient treatment program for patients, he figured it would make a nice change to sleep in a comfortable bed and eat half-ways decent food instead of the usual flea and cockroach infested joints that he frequently was forced to stay in while undercover. When he heard that he would be posing as an arrogant SOB with a narcissistic personality disorder, he thought how it just kept getting better and better.

Tony had grown up around the ultimate narcissist, since his father had it down pat, and many of his business associates were just as narcissistic as Senior. Who else but a narcissist could take their young son to Maui and forget to take them home again when they left. He was also well versed in how much narcissistic behaviour could damage the people who had the misfortune of sharing the same air as them. Even as a kid he knew instinctively that his Dad could suck the air out of a room and if there wasn't enough for them both to breathe, Senior wouldn't have thought twice about using it all up himself. Indeed, if Maui proved nothing else, it was that his father probably wouldn't even consider his son any more than he would concern himself about the welfare of a mosquito or a bug in a life threatening situation.

He figured that he could probably pull this role off without too much preparation, although he would take as much prep time as he could get, as experience had shown him that there was no such thing as being over prepared for going undercover. The downside to this job was that Ferguson was going to be his handler and he hated 'psych' types, but at least once he went undercover in the in-patient program his involvement with her would be minimal. That was what he thought anyway!

It wasn't until he was in way too deep and all the plans had been set in play that Special Agent Ferguson dropped her little bombshell, that she intended to be his partner in the undercover operation and planned on posing as his girlfriend.

*MOAS: Mother of all secrets


	12. Chapter 12

A/N Thanks once again to Arress for the Beta for this chapter and pointing out the omissions. All errors are mine.

Just a quick thank you again to everyone for their reviews, favs and everyone who is following the story. Know that I read all reviews and appreciate your support.

Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up?

Chapter 12

Tony stared around the conference room, noting that everyone's attention was glued to him.

Susan Faber smiled at him and asked, "Why was that such a bad thing, Tony?"

He started at her, almost bug eyed in surprise. "You're kidding right, Doc? For a start she was a shrink and second she had no experience working undercover. Just because she could develop profiles didn't mean she could work undercover. If you are going to have more than one operative undercover, then it gets extremely complicated and you need experienced people, not rookies who think that post grad degrees automatically confer infallibility and have grandiose fantasies about the glamour and excitement of working undercover. People like her get people like me killed by wanting to play in our sandbox."

"But surely, playing your girlfriend wouldn't have been that challenging, since you were in an in-patient program?"

Tony shook his head. "No, you don't understand, part of the treatment program after the second week was couples therapy for those NPD patients who were in a long term partnership, seeing that those partners tend to have associated issues themselves, chiefly that they stay around and put up with a narcissistic partner long term. I believe the correct terminology is co-morbid psychopathology often presenting itself as co-dependence and substance abuse." He felt everybody's shock at the dumb jock using words of more than one syllable. All except Dr. Faber who was sporting a cynical yet knowing smirk.

Oh well, he might have shown his hand but it wasn't as if he was going to be hanging around here for much longer anyway. He shrugged, not bothering to tell them that he'd been drilled for hours on end by Special Agent Ferguson on the ins and outs of NPD versus other personality disorders and the co-morbidity of other psychiatric disorders such as alcoholism and drug addiction. Coincidentally, both turned out to be disorders/diseases/conditions that he had a long acquaintance with, from a childhood growing up in the DiNozzo family. Ironic really, after he'd long given up trying to understand his parents and why his childhood had been so screwed up, his latest undercover job was inadvertently giving him some long desired answers.

His beautiful but deeply troubled mother, was not only an alcoholic, as was her husband, but she had developed co-dependency issues, too, and with his father's constant need to be the centre of the universe, the needs of a small son had mostly been ignored by both his parents. It was the reason why his Achilles' heel was his need for recognition, even if he didn't know how to handle that attention when he finally received it. Well, positive attention; he had ample experience of dealing with negative attention as a kid and later as an adult who had issues with authority figures and fools. Having so little skill in dealing with positive attention and praise had also set him up for a lifetime of being vulnerable to manipulation by unscrupulous individuals who would use his talents then deny him any tangible reinforcement.

Or even worse, as Gibbs had done, put any positive reinforcement on what the shrinky- types described as being an intermittent schedule of reinforcers (think *extreme* intermittence in Gibbs' case) that worked on the same principle that kept gamblers coming back to place bets, even those impossible wagers where the incidence of a cash payout was extremely low, enough to be almost nonexistent. In other words, Gibbs was smart enough to know that by offering a once in a blue moon skerrick of praise and little prospect of anymore into the distant future, it would make him redouble his already desperate efforts to win his boss' approval. Hell, any college student taking a 101 Behavioural Psych undergrad course knew that intermittently delivered reinforcers strengthened or increased the rate of the desired behaviour. Even he knew it and yet being so deprived as a child, he still couldn't prevent himself being manipulated into craving first his father's and latterly Gibbs' approval.

How stupid was he then, he mused, to finally settle down at NCIS with someone who like his parents, ignored him and his efforts and skills unless, as he'd learnt to do with his father, he acted out and annoyed his boss in order to get him to pay attention to him? It actually made him feel pretty darned pathetic and weak, especially since it was now blatantly apparent that Gibbs was never going to trust him or respect him. The Michelle Lee affair had made that abundantly clear to him and now this NDP debacle had merely been the icing on the cake.

Back when he was a child, his parents only gave him lip service when his presence could somehow be advantageous to them. The only attribute that had been deemed worthy of their attention had been his appearance and ability to charm people. Chatting up his father's business associates, no his marks, was a skill that Senior could admire and use and Tony grew up believing that it was the sum total of his worth, and so he traded on it as much as possible. His mother used to mostly pay attention to him when she dressed him in outlandish and highly inappropriate outfits to show off to her friends as some sort of real life doll as they cooed over his large doe-like eyes and impossibly long eyelashes and his perfectly plump little lips that all women wanted to kiss. As much as the fuss made him feel uncomfortable, none of the adults in his world ever paid him any mind for his empathy or his seriousness or his enquiring mind.

Little wonder that he grew up feeling that his worth all hinged on the most superficial of characteristics which everyone in his universe focused upon. But he'd learnt his lesson well and used his considerable physical assets whenever the situation warranted. He'd be a fool not to make the most of the only thing that he had going for him. Then, after finally managing to fight his way free of his father's presence and control, he'd chosen a place to settle down where an equally demanding and unpleasable individual who, despite apparently seeing him as screwed up with narcissistic personality disorder, had recognised that he possessed skills that could contribute to his team's own solve rate.

Susan cleared her throat discreetly and Tony realised he'd been off in his own little world and everyone was staring at him strangely, so he picked up his story concerning his undercover, loony-tunes partner, once again.

"Like so many other amateurs, she bought into the whole fantasy aspect of undercover work and she fell for the fallacy that because she had a high IQ, she had what it took to work undercover. Like I said, Doc, she might have been a shrink, but she was a few sandwiches short of a picnic and the constructed truth of Antony DiMarco and reality of Tony DiNozzo somehow became enmeshed in her head and she started stalking me when the mission finished, wanting to play boyfriend and girlfriend."

Susan nodded. "A common enough occurrence in someone who isn't psychological suited to working undercover or not being properly supervised. Who was Kristina's handler, Tony?"

"Um…herself, Doc, she claimed it wasn't necessary to involve anyone else. I tried to kick up a stink, hell I tried to get out of the mission when I learnt she was going undercover with me, but it turned out she had some friends in high places. Seemed the Mayor and the Police Commissioner are friends of her family and they backed her going in as my girlfriend and I was refused permission from backing out of the Op. I was 'ordered' to go in," he stated, obviously still angry after all this time.

Gibbs snorted inelegantly. "Damned politicians."

"Anyway, initially the doctor ignored me totally, apart from clinical interactions of course, but checked out my story discreetly. I was supposedly attending treatment because I'd been pulled over on a DUI charge and ended up taking a swing at the cop when he tried to take me into custody. Most people with NPD who end up in treatment are there due to court mandate, seeing that they don't think their behaviour is a problem, and DiMarco was no exception. Trouble is, the killer didn't make a move on me and we ended up having to go through the whole charade of couples' therapy and pretending to be a couple. She really got into it, way too much actually, tried to convince me to sleep with her… well, not just sleep with her, but have a relationship with her while we were at the clinic."

* * *

~ Flashback 1999 ~

* * *

When Tony and Kristina retired to their room after dinner, he'd heaved a sigh of relief to get some respite from the profiler who was all over him like a rash. In his opinion, she was really taking the role of girlfriend to extremes. Yet as he closed the door with thoughts of a shower and blissful sleep, Kristina launched herself at him attacking his mouth with hers and grabbing at a rather personal part of his anatomy. Tony captured her hands in an iron grip and turned his head away from her predatory lips.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Kristina?" he ground out, furious that she wasn't taking this seriously.

She started up at him flirtatiously. "We're supposed to be together, thought we should act like it, Tony, and besides, thought you'd enjoy a bit of stress relief."

Tony felt a spike of anger wash over him. He did not need some crazy assed chick wanting to fool around when they were undercover trying to catch a sexual predator turned serial killer, especially when he'd been set up as the bait. Yes, there'd been a couple of times before when it was necessary to maintain his cover which was in danger of being exposed, where he'd been forced to get intimate with someone while undercover. But there was no way he was going to fool around with Kristina. First off, there was no need for it to maintain their cover. It would also be highly distracting, not to mention dangerous, and finally, Special Agent Kristina Ferguson seriously creeped him out. It was hard enough to have her acting as his girlfriend when they were under scrutiny; he did not want her in his bed for real.

He smiled mirthlessly, "Well, you thought wrong, Kristina. As I told you before, I need you to watch my back, not wash it. We can't afford to let our guard down, not for a moment."

Of course that hadn't been the end of it. She was nothing if not determined and having to constantly slap down her unwanted advances that she seemed to think were playfully seductive, but he found crude and unwelcome, not to say highly unprofessional, was wearing in the pressure cooker environment that was undercover work. So much so that he was driven out of their room the next night just to get a break from her. That was when the psycho predator chose to pounce on his latest prey, and Tony had got out of the op by the skin of his teeth, and with no help from his handler/partner thank you very much!

Everyone was happy. A serial killer had been caught and the Mayor and Police Chief were happy to take credit along with Special Agent Ferguson who had a successful op under her belt. Detective Anthony DiNozzo was ecstatic to be done with the job, not to mention the freaky FBI agent. The problem was that she didn't seem to be willing to leave him alone. He couldn't believe that she could in any way, shape or form, think that he was interested in her, but she turned into his worst nightmare stalker crazy woman. He had some experience with a few ex-girlfriends who wouldn't accept that they weren't together anymore, but this was different. Kristina was a colleague, and in a way, had been his superior and was well connected with the Philly PD, which made it difficult to do anything about her stalking. Not to mention the damage to his reputation if he took out a restraining order. His Loo had suggested a leave of absence might cool her interest, but if anything, she was even more determined after he'd taken off to spend a week with a frat brother in Ohio.

Unfortunately, it only seemed to encourage her to step up her campaign to get them together. In the end, he got tired of the harassment and decided to move. He heard that there was a position as a homicide detective going at Baltimore and he was also burnt out from doing so much undercover work, especially vice work, which for someone who was as empathetic as Tony had definitely taken their toll emotionally, although he'd soldiered on even if he was running on empty. Cops working in vice had a pretty high turn-over, but when you worked undercover, you formed bonds with the population you were targeting, especially the little people who were usually victims. Night after night he'd see all the young kids, the addicts, the runaways who had been trapped into prostituting themselves, while the kingpins got fat on their suffering and vulnerability.

So, when he got the job in Homicide in Baltimore, he knew that it was a good move. Hopefully, Kristina would finally get the message, and the murder victims he would be working with would at least be beyond further pain and suffering, unlike the lost generation he had been working with. His Loo regretfully let him go, but agreed that for his own well-being, getting out of Philly was all for the best. There were a few further emails and calls from Ferguson when he first left the state, but after ignoring them, he was finally left in peace and decided that his stalker had gotten the message.

* * *

~End of flashback~

* * *

Tony glanced at his audience who all seemed enthralled by his recitation. He directed his question at Dr. Faber, one that he'd long pondered.

"Doc, I know it can be difficult to separate myself from my character when I come back from undercover work. It can take a while to find myself, sometimes weeks before I feel like me again and I still feel guilty about deceiving some people long after the op has ended." He thought about the evil yet pathetic serial killer Jeffrey White he'd shot and killed not long after he'd confessed that Tony had treated him better than anyone ever had or that his father had beaten him throughout his childhood. Or the Macalusos' servants, who had been kind and befriended him during his deep undercover op that lasted way longer than anybody had expected.

"But I've never mixed up reality like Special Agent Ferguson did. I guess I'm wondering if it is like how some actors can do sex scenes with their co-stars and not confuse the story with reality and others get swept up in it and start having affairs with the co-star even when they are happily married?" He watched her considering his question.

"Good analogy, Tony. I think that some people, even if they have the skills to pull off undercover work, are still psychologically unsuited to that type of work. It is one of the most difficult and dangerous jobs as you know. I'd have to say that she should never have been given leave to do undercover work, but apart from lacking the right psychological profile, it sounds as if she was rather fixated upon you from the get-go," she stated seriously.

"Yeah, but it sounds like I'm being a narcissist to say that she added that psych report to my unofficial file because I wouldn't agree to go out with her."

"Not if it's the truth, Tony. Did she ever do anything apart from stalking and harassing you?" Faith Coleman chimed in curiously.

"Well, someone trashed my old apartment after I moved out when I went to Baltimore and someone egged my corvette shortly after I arrive..."

"Certainly would have been the first time DiNozzo. Would'a thought you'd be used to it already," Gibbs taunted him although everyone ignored him.

"But I could never prove it was her, and after not responding she finally stopped calling me and I forgot all about her until today." Tony continued on smoothly, as if he hadn't noticed the interruption.

At some point in his story, Ducky had returned from the bullpen with Tony's unofficial police file and as they pawed through the surprisingly thick file, sure enough they came across the psych report that was a carbon copy of the one Tony had produced earlier except the name was Anthony DiNozzo instead of Antony DeMarco. Not to mention a long list of injuries incurred undercover, including being shot up with LSD when a job was blown by a dirty vice cop.

Tony sighed, "I guess now we wait for my old Lieutenant from Philly to call me back and let us know about when it was added and if it went into my official file, too."


	13. Chapter 13

A/N I want to give any Gibbs fans out there a heads up before they make a decision to read this. It is odds on you will hate this chapter and I would suggest you do yourself a favour and read only the first page and a half up to to the change of POV from Susan to Faith which has the relevant information to move the story forward. There is one piece of information revealed later on about the silent conversation Faith and Tony had in the conference room earlier in the afternoon which Ducky and Susan were not privy to. If you do choose skip the rest of the chapter and I would honestly suggest you do just that and want to know about the silent conversation, send me a PM and I'll tell you what was said. So just to emphasize the point one last time; this story and this particular chapter is not complimentary to Leroy Jethro Gibbs and if the thought of this offends you, please don't read it. Last chance to escape :)

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and favourite or alerted Narcissists, your support means so much. Many thanks to Arress for Beta-ing a chapter that is super critical of one of her faves. As usual, any errors are of course my bad!

Will The Real Narcissist Pleas Stand Up?

Chapter 13

Tony was holding up the wall, humming a jazz riff under his breath and Susan, who was standing beside him, smiled. He was alternating between gazing around watching everything that was unfolding and lapsing into what had been termed by some of her people, the_ DiNozzo Zone_, where he acted distracted, he started tapping his fingers in a complex syncopated rhythm that created an air of anticipation before he would blink and return to his people watching once more. Periodically, he would direct a laser-like stare towards his superior and smile sardonically at the typically curt behaviour when said superior was forced to spend protracted periods around lawyers.

Susan noted the smile and decided to broach the elephant in the room. "You sure didn't pull any punches, did you?"

"Didn't deserve it, Doc, and besides, I'm done taking crap…" He didn't get a chance to continue as his cell phone rang and he scrambled to answer it

"Tony DiNozzo," he answered his phone signalling to the other people in the conference room that it was one of the calls that he was waiting on.

"Hang on a sec while I put you on speaker. There's a room full of people, mostly legal types that are hanging off your every word, Loo… um I mean Cap'n. Folks, say hello to Captain Grace Wong, Philly PD's finest and poker champ extraordinaire. Say hi, Gracie," he burbled making it obvious he had left his job in Philly in cordial circumstances, at least as far as his old lieutenant was concerned.

"Hi again, Tony, Loo's fine but just for you, kiddo. Now, I checked on your file and there it was, Tony, in the unofficial one and while you can maybe explain that as a clerical error… someone putting in the fake report and for whatever reason deciding that the name was a mistake and correcting it doesn't wash that the report has also found its way into your regular file, too, and that is one coincidence too many. I know that it definitely wasn't in there when you left Philly, Tony, so it's been added since then. I'm going to have to go back through it with a fine tooth comb and make sure nothing else has been added to it.

"That crazy psycho bitch, with her friends in high places; I'd seriously like to shoot her. She cost me the best young detective I've ever had with her delusions. Not sure what she hoped to accomplish, but I'm sorry she's created even more dramas for you, Tony. Hopefully she's left a trail and we can take her down this time. I'm also going to launch an investigation into how someone obtained your unofficial file in the first place."

"Hey, Loo, don'tcha mean that psychological profiler, not psycho?"

"No, Hell no, Kiddo," came the disembodied but contemptuous voice of Tony's former boss. "That woman needs to spend some quality time in a strait- jacket in my humble opinion. Psycho works just fine for me."

He grinned, suddenly overcome with nostalgia for his old boss and wondering how different his life would have been if he'd been able to stay in Philly. He'd never have met Gibbs or joined NCIS.

After they'd chatted for a few minutes and Faith had organised for Captain Wong to testify via video about the switching of the file and as a character witness, the lawyer noted down the Philly PD police captain's contact details and organised to call her at 0800 tomorrow to settle the details.

Tony chimed in before they ended the call, "Thanks for having my back, Grace, FYI 0800 is eight am for you civilian types."

Grace chuckled in amusement. "Gee thanks, Tony, I don't know how I've managed without you since you left me behind."

When the call was terminated, Tony turned to Gibbs. "Well, 'Sir', that should give you the vindication that you need to be able to admit that you made a mistake. It wasn't your fault that someone slipped a fake report in my unofficial file that you 'procured'. Hopefully, now you'll play nice with the good folk here since we all want the same thing, to put away that dirt bag." He stood up and looked at Faith.

"If you don't need me for anything more, I'll head home. I'm guessing that you want me at the hearing tomorrow, Lieutenant?" She nodded. "Okay, I'll see you then." Tony stood up and moved to the door of the conference room and opened the door and then closed it again as if remembering something important.

Susan smiled, admiring his theatrical flair. He was quite the showman.

"Just one thing," he directed to no one in particular, "The defense will probably want to know why someone would knowingly want to hire a detective they believe to have narcissist personality disorder. Not exactly standard operating procedure. Just saying…"

With that he slipped through the door and left. It was one hell of an exit line, Susan concluded wryly.

~Later that night~

"Well, that went… well," Faith declared sarcastically dropping into her chair again after seeing out all the paralegals and other personnel after a long, exhausting and emotionally charged evening. Ducky and Gibbs had departed a while ago and Susan and Faith were going to go over everything and have a quick post mortem before calling it a night. It had been a long day and even longer night and Faith was longing for the oblivion of sleep for six hours.

Susan regarded her seriously. "Actually, Faith, I think you made quite a lot of progress tonight.

She conceded with a nod, that although it had been tough, progress had been achieved after hours of hard slog following Howard Jefferies blitzkrieg attack this morning. Had it really only been a few short hours ago that it had all hit the fan? It felt like so much longer.

"I'd had my doubts until Tony pulled that rabbit out of the hat. Hopefully it's enough for Gibbs to do a mea culpea without feeling like he's lost too much face. I had my doubts that we could get the Gunny to step over the edge, but that fake psych report was a game changer. What is with Tony that he attracts so much bad luck, though? I'm going after that damned lunatic when we get done with this."

She pondered the events of their night, wanting a psychologist's take on the issue that was troubling her. "That zinger that Tony dropped before he went home is a good one. So, Doctor, why would Gibbs knowingly want to hire someone who has Narcissistic Personality Disorder?"

Susan rolled her eyes. "Why don't you ask me something simple, like the meaning of life, Faith? Seriously, who knows? Perhaps he admires individuals with those qualities. While I can't comment about him being NPD, I can say that I have observed that he exhibits some traits that are definitely egocentric, so he might be attracted to them in others. He might have felt that Tony's outstanding abilities as an investigator balanced any negatives of him having NPD, or he might simply be so obsessed with solving cases that he didn't consider the ramifications of having such an individual on his team."

She pondered a while, "You know, short of getting inside Gibbs' head, we can never really know what he was thinking, but maybe on some level even though he obviously was convinced that Tony was narcissistic, maybe he subconsciously saw him for what he was in Baltimore. The empathy he has for others, his ability to get inside other people's heads, his concern for others, like hungry lawyers," she grinned playfully.

"Or perhaps the truth is he is a narcissist and he thought that he was more than capable of dealing with Tony as long as he could exploit Tony's abilities for his own purposes. Whatever his motivation, hopefully Gibbs will have a good answer ready if Jefferies gets it together enough to think about asking him that. Great exit line by Tony, though."

"Speaking of which, that was an utterly flawless performance from Tony tonight. Which of his alters do you think we met earlier?" She saw the psychologist shake her head and Faith smirked. "Yeah…yeah, I know, not alters, he doesn't disassociate. I get it, but it is obviously one of his undercover personas. He sure was scary but totally alpha male, he even set the gunny back on his ass. I wonder which undercover op that one was borrowed from."

Susan eyed her colleague seriously. "You know, Faith I don't think it was a persona or an act at all. I think we were some of the rarest of individuals who might be able to claim that they saw a glimpse of the real Anthony DiNozzo tonight, devoid of pretence, deflections and masks. I think that that is why Gibbs was so damn shocked, he intuitively felt like I did that this was the real deal. In fact, the only one that seemed even totally not shocked was Ducky, although he was definitely feeling uncomfortable about the conflict. I have a feeling perhaps Ducky has seen glimpses before, or at least suspected that 'he' was in there,"

Faith looked at her confused. "Why?"

"Why *what*, Faith?"

"Well, if what we saw is the real deal, then why hide all that potential, all that power and charisma; why not let it out? He was impressive, a force to be reckoned with. He more than held his own against Gibbs, and that says one hell of a lot. You know how difficult Gibbs was being tonight? He was making a room full of lawyers and legal eagles, not to mention you and me, pretty crapped off and ready to shoot him, and DiNozzo waltzed in and cut him off at the knees. Why doesn't he let himself off the leash more often; why play the fool all the time, if that was the real him?"

"Because for some reason he feels like letting everyone see the real 'him' is too risky and he seemed to make a decision tonight that that he was no longer worried about the consequences. Based about his behaviour it was like he decided that he wasn't concern about Special Agent Gibbs' opinion anymore."

Faith nodded, "Okay, that makes sense. He's always been eager to please Gibbs. The joke around here is that he is Gibbs' loyal Saint Bernard, but I guess it doesn't matter anymore about keeping him happy or trying to impress him."

The psychologist thought back to the enigmatic conversation earlier. "Okay, what were you and Tony talking about when you didn't actually talk this afternoon? It was extremely cryptic," she probed.

The JAG lawyer sighed. "Mud sticks when you're a cop or a fed, Susan. Tony's a liability now, even with what we have on Ferguson and the repudiation by Scuito, Mallard and Gibbs,"

"But what about the lie detector test, or the character witnesses or Captain Wong's testimony, won't that make a difference? "

"Hopefully, it will for our case, but then there is the next time and the time after that when a defence lawyer chooses to bring it up. No one can unsay what has been said, as the case of the cop that was accused of planting the leather glove in the O.J. Simpson case so amply demonstrated. The allegation will be dredged up somehow every time he tries to give evidence."

Susan's sense of propriety was grossly offended. "Then why the hell have we been here all night working our butts off and letting Gibbs bust our chops for hours, if there's no hope that we can salvage DiNozzo's reputation? What was the point of it all?" she demanded.

Faith picked up a photo of a young Petty Officer. "She's why we we're here half the night, Doctor. Unless we can beat the defence and convince the judge and jury that DiNozzo is solid and honest, then her killer is going to get off free. And a drug dealer walks away scot free. That's what DiNozzo is fighting for."

The psychologist bowed her head, acknowledging the truth of Faith's statement. It was very similar in content to the conversation she'd had with Tony in the corridor tonight. Even so, the injustice of the situation stuck in her craw.

"Isn't there anything that we can do to stop Tony's reputation being trashed? With his signing of that release earlier, I can now tell you that his job means the world to him. Not having his career is going to destroy him, Faith. There has to be something that can be done. He did nothing to deserve all this, it's just so unfair."

She recognised that she was sounding childishly unworldly, but it was so outrageous that other people's actions could take away everything he'd worked for, everything he lived for.

"Yeah, it sucks, Doc, and there are plenty of people that have to accept responsibility for what's happened to DiNozzo. A vindictive and unbalanced FBI profiler, and when the trial was over you and I are going to make her pay, Gibbs and his team, even Michelle and my indiscreet conversation in the cafeteria. He really got screwed over all right. When we've won this case, I'll organise for him to get the best legal advice from the Judge Advocate General and also some of the Attorneys Generals to make sure that there isn't something to be done about it. Maybe Tony and I are being way too pessimistic."

Susan nodded. It was pretty cold comfort, but she would do her bit too to ensure that Kristina Ferguson paid for what she'd done. She hated women like that; she gave psychology a bad name, not to mention making it harder for other female agents to be taken seriously, and Susan didn't care how well connected she was, the NCIS psychologist would see to it that she didn't get to keep her career, if Tony lost his because of that stupid damned psych report. She couldn't do anything about making the idiots at NCIS pay for their intemperance, though, because really, how to you penalize stupidity and disloyalty anyway?

She did have some connections, though, so perhaps she could help Tony to move into a management role where he wouldn't be required to give evidence in a court of law. She knew it was a poor substitute for the loss of his field agent status, but he had many transferable skills and she thought he'd be great. How had Faith put it… a real force to be reckoned with? Yes, he was all that and more. She sighed and started to pack up her stuff, deciding that her bed was starting to seem highly attractive.

Faith looked up noting the preparations to leave. "Can you spare me a few minutes for a consult, Susan?"

The shrink sighed inwardly and put her handbag and files down and nodded. "Sure, what do you need?"

"Just a couple of questions that occurred to me earlier and I couldn't ask you before. Umm, Officer David mentioned in her deposition about Gibbs slapping people's heads. We saw Ducky head slapping Gibbs and apparently that was an earth shattering moment that was enough to have us all in shock, including Gibbs, which would seem to be rather hypocritical, seeing it is such a well-worn tool he uses to manage his team. Well, anyway, it seems from what others have said, including Michelle, that Tony gets the lion's share of head slaps. And I think Howard might bring that up when Gibbs is on the stand."

She paused and took a deep breath. "I know I would if I was him, because the way it looks is that Tony has to be incredibly incompetent to a) need them constantly to function and b) for no one in management to have ever sanctioned Gibbs for using inappropriate methods to manage his team. It appears as if NCIS totally endorses his actions, despite it flying in the face of all their guidelines, protocols and regulations. It looks bad for him, I have to say. I can't understand why Tony tolerates it."

Susan grimaced, since she'd had this conversation before with her colleagues, about why Gibbs was allowed to get away with behaviour that no one else in the agency would be permitted to and why Tony didn't turn around and clock the source of his abuse and humiliation. Goodness knows she had tried to bring up her disapproval of the use of the head slap with all three directors that she'd served under and they had all excused the inexcusable, for different reasons she surmised.

With Tom Morrow it was friendship and quid pro quo in that Gibbs made the agency look good with his solve rate. With Jenny Shepard it was that she wasn't up to controlling her former mentor (and lover if office gossip was to be believed), but also because she had served with him and probably been subject to the odd head slap, too. Except that with female agents, Gibbs tended to use head slaps very sparingly or passed them on to the males on the team, instead.

And Vance, when she brought the subject up with him, had hedged and deflected and Susan got the impression that he felt as if he had larger issues to challenge Gibbs on, notwithstanding that it was Tony who copped the lion's share and it was the worst kept secret in the agency that Vance hated Gibbs' senior field agent. She suspected if it had been McGee, who was his golden child, he might have been more disposed to enforce guidelines if he was getting the lion's share of the heads laps. Since it was Tony, he wasn't really moved to do anything about it. Needless to say, she didn't agree. As far as she was concerned what was the point in having guidelines if favoured individuals got a free pass from following them?

She also found it ironic if not downright offensive that a law enforcement agency charged with upholding the law would condone one of their own committing continual acts that fell within the definition of common assault. If it was carried out by a civilian, they could be charged with committing an offense. The rationale as explained by former Director Shepard was not convincing either – _that a head slap that was delivered to the back of the head was a wake-up call, while a slap to the face was humiliating. _

Susan had replied quite tartly to the director that people had also believed that the world was flat in times gone by, or that you couldn't get pregnant the first time you had sex, but that didn't make it any more true than his asinine justification did either. It seemed though that like other charismatic types, Gibbs seemed to possess the ability to convince others of his own belief system despite how misguided or just out and out wrong he was. The term brainwashing flittered across her mind and she sighed deeply. She'd talked to the human resources manager, who had simply declined to take up the issue without the support of the director, and Susan was left feeling impotent and angry.

"To be fair, all his team, even Dr. Mallard, seem desensitised to Gibbs' head slap, although Tony is the one that cops 99% of them. It is easy to be sanguine about them when you aren't copping them yourself. As far as I can make out, although Gibbs justifies them as a way to get him to focus, Tony says they are a sign of affection. While he was joking when he said it, the counsellor was convinced that the humour was a deflection and he really believed it."

Faith looked incredulous. "How sick is that? Is that because he's been abused as a kid?"

"Faith, I can't tell you that specifically, even if I knew. It isn't as if he shares with my staff. Believe me; he brings a whole new meaning to closed mouth, which is ironic since his special agent persona is anything but. I will say, though, that speaking in generalities, for children exposed to parents applying the use of excessive force or discipline, it may explain why someone would accept head slaps as normal. Although, so could several other issues such as neglect or abandonment, too, where the child then interprets any form of attention as being a sign of positive regard. It seems likely that somewhere along the way, someone has inflicted some sort of serious and lasting damage on his psyche that would cause him to view that sort of inappropriate treatment for the last seven plus years as being a sign of love."

Faith screwed up her face as she searched his personnel file. "Might it also explain why he would turn down several promotions to lead his own team?"

"Partially, I guess. If he confuses love with being hit then he's going to develop a psychological dependence on that individual, but there is also the implicit message being delivered every time he gets hit that he needs the authority figure in order to function, and that without Gibbs he would flounder. I don't think I am betraying any confidences when I say that he doesn't see himself as the highly competent agent that others do." The shrink scowled, "well, apart from his team mates and the director that is, who seriously underestimate him."

Faith mirrored her glower. "Okay, let's play devil's advocate for a minute. If DiNozzo is so badly in need of the head slap to focus his concentration, how come he had a phenomenal close out rate as a homicide detective in Baltimore and in fact, how was he able to earn a gold detective shield at such a young age and with so few years of experience as a cop? That hardly suggests that he lacks focus or how he is able to focus for extensive periods of time undercover on his own? And how come when he was leading the team when Gibbs resigned a couple of years ago, the record high case close out rate didn't dip, even though he had a new probie to train, he was training a new SFA and he was trying to adapt to a new job without any training, AND he was running extracurricular errands for Jenny Shepard?"

"That's a really good observation, Counsellor," Susan noted dryly. "Gibbs might argue that he lacks focus, but I suspect it is more a clash of styles. Gibbs is a linear processor, B follows A, and while he is intuitive, that is different from the leaps of logic, the way for Tony, that he processes data, how Y can follow L and A. He takes multiple streams of data and processes it simultaneously."

She considered before continuing. " Take Miss Scuito for example, no one head slaps her to help her refocus, yet she listens to the most appalling noise, dances, drinks multitudes of Caf-Pows whilst frequently running off her mouth while she works, yet her productivity and flashes of inspiration would probably decline if she wasn't able to work that way. It would be like hitching a thoroughbred race horse up to a plough and expecting them to win a race or plough a field."

Commander Faith Coleman hesitated, wondering if she should share her observations before reaching the conclusion that Susan Faber had demonstrated that she was discreet.

"I can see that, but I'm not entirely convinced that's all it is though. I noticed something else when I was going through the files this afternoon. Anyone that is assigned to Gibbs' team and comes from law enforcement, specifically an investigative background, never lasted the distance, quite possibly is driven out. Yet, looking at individuals Gibbs personally recruited and that stayed on his team came from a variety of backgrounds, but their specialities were never investigating crimes or law enforcement. The only exception to this rule was Tony. And seeing that the close out rates remained the same when it was just the two of them, it didn't increase when they added extra team members like an IT genius and a psychological profiler, they also didn't dip down when Gibbs left, and Tony had an equally impressive closure at Baltimore, it seems safe to assume that Tony's investigative skills are a huge part of the MCRT's record closure rate."

Faith saw Susan nodding at her logic so far. "Well, okay, so here's the controversial bit - it sure looks to me like Gibbs can't afford to lose Tony because of his contribution to the team from a statistical stand point. I guess the nasty lawyer gene in me is wondering if he is sabotaging DiNozzo, either consciously or subconsciously so that he doubts himself just enough to think that he needs Gibbs to function. If he believes that, he's not going to accept a promotion, is he? But the other thing my Bad Faith Angel is whispering in my ear is that while he needs him for the team, he is also quite possibly threatened by him, too. I told you that my friend Michelle believed Gibbs was the one with NPD, but even if he is just an egotistical individual, envy is one of the most base and common motivations that we see as a cause for crimes committed. Therefore, it isn't exactly a stretch to see how it might be motivating us in our everyday life in the workplace, too."

She continued to develop her thesis. "As much as Gibbs needs Tony, he might also feel like his considerable skills threaten his own reputation, or his job. By humiliating him and constantly placing doubt in his mind that he can't function without Gibbs being there to control him, he isn't going to believe he is good enough to make it on his own, especially if he sees the head slaps as a sign of affection. Michelle hinted that he'd had an unhappy childhood. She said his mother, who was obviously a drunk, drank his pet sea monkeys and his father abandoned him alone in a hotel for two days when he was a kid. Sort of understand how an authoritarian, high handed boss might easily be seen as caring in comparison."

The chief psychologist wasn't exactly old; she was in the bloom of middle age and certainly liked to think she was maturing gracefully. Yet all of a sudden considering Faith's theories, she suddenly felt old and battered by the ravages of a world full of suffering where humans chose to treat fellow humans with contempt, hate and lack of respect for the sanctity of life. It was utterly disillusioning for someone who had chosen the so called helping profession in order to make a difference.

It seemed so unfair if Tony had to pay the ultimate price of losing his job for simply doing what he was paid for because of others. They couldn't afford to lose someone with his skills and experience.

"Deep thoughts indeed, Faith; dark, depressive thoughts, I have to say. You may well be on to something or not. Does it move us along at all?"

"Perhaps not in terms of the motivation, but the info on his close out rates all speak to Tony's competence and integrity and negates some of the damage of the head slaps from the point of view of his credibility as a witness; so every little bit helps." The lawyer stated confidently.

Susan looked at her cynically. "For Petty Officer Weber's sake, let's hope so; for Special Agent DiNozzo, it seems like too little too late.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N Thanks once again to Arress for the Beta for this chapter and pointing out the omissions. All errors are mine.

Just a quick thank you again to everyone for their reviews, favs and everyone who is following the story. Know that I read all reviews and appreciate your support. While all reviews are created equal (well apart from flames) a special mention to those Gibbs fans who posted reviews for the previous chapter that were incredibly supportive. They really moved me greatly! I was really expecting rotten eggs lol. I hope you enjoy the chapter :)

Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up

Chapter 15

The morning had been rather a blur to Tony. He'd ended up presenting himself down at the Edgar Hoover Building promptly at 0815 for his hastily arranged lie detector test. After that was completed, he then had to race back to the Navy Yard and a session with Dr. Faber, who as per the wishes of Dr. Bill McStar, had administered the Narcissistic Personality Inventory*, which was a psychometric assessment tool used frequently by psychologists. Neither he nor the head psychologist was really surprised that his scores indicated he wasn't a narcissistic SOB, but still it was reassuring and right now he'd take any port in the storm, even spending time with the shrinks. It occurred to him that there was an irony in head shrinkers and narcissism, since they really needed someone to shrink their big heads.

Once he'd finished with Susan, he had to deal with the paperwork involved in their latest case, then he headed off to put in an appearance in the trial today. Balboa was his support buddy for the morning session and he dropped by after leaving instructions with his own team about what he wanted them to do in his absence. Since the temperature in the bullpen could only be described as ball shrinking arctic, Tony was absurdly grateful for Balboa's cheery banter since he seemed immune to the furious glares that Gibbs was shooting the way of the Team Leader and his own SFA (which after last night was hardly a surprise). By the alarmed but puzzled glances that McGee and Ziva had been exchanging between themselves and their two superiors, it seemed that they were still out of the loop. With Balboa's behaviour and the way he was ignoring Gibbs, their curiosity was obviously at a breaking point.

Finally, after finishing up his immediate task, Tony stood and gathered his wallet, ID and firearm before donning his jacket. He knew that Abby was first up to give evidence this morning. She'd been texting and calling him since yesterday, and for the first time ever he had been ignoring her attempts to connect with him. He knew that she would want to apologise to him, but the problem was that he didn't know if he could even accept the apology or further down the track, forgive her. Somehow, while he was hurt and angry at McGee and Ziva, he wasn't all that surprised. For supposedly crack investigators, they had never been able to or just never cared enough to bother to breech his façade. Abby and Gibbs and Ducky, though, knew he was so much more than the image that he chose to present to the world. Or he thought that they had; they certainly acted like they actually cared about him, but then as Gibbs was so fond of espousing, actions speak louder than words. Joking about his narcissism for years behind his back was pretty much shouting as far as he was concerned.

Tony was grateful for Balboa's presence beside him and also the fact that the taciturn agent didn't expect him to make polite chit-chat or, heaven forbid, to discuss his feelings. He knew already that the telly shrink McStar wanted to "chat" sometime today so he could prepare his report and testimony for tomorrow or the day after. Tony was looking forward to a session with the shrink like he would be about a wisdom tooth extraction but needs must. He knew that when he entered the courtroom, he was going to be undercover, acting as if all was forgiven with his team, and he really hated having to do it. He knew that in his desperate need to have people in his life to care for and to care for him, he often turned into a doormat and let said people wipe their feet all over him. He always forgave them even if their shoes were covered in crap, but this time he wasn't prepared to do that and it really went against the grain to have to pretend that he was cool with them all.

Still, when he entered the courtroom and saw Mr. and Mrs. Weber sitting waiting for the proceedings, he realised it wasn't about his petty feelings of betrayal. It was more important to put a killer and drug dealer away, so when Abby approached him cautiously he grimaced at Balboa and allowed her to hug him, slipping seamlessly into his Very Special Agent persona. Obviously it was working because Abby who knew him so well seemed oblivious to the act, but then he figured that she was probably nervous about her upcoming testimony, not to mention being uncomfortable in her courtroom getup. It was still reassuring though that he was putting up a credible show.

As the proceedings got under way and Abby took the stand and was sworn in, Tony found himself zoning out. He knew that the initial part of her testimony was going to be based on the evidence and only later would Faith bring up the issue of his supposed narcissism. So while Faith skillfully led the forensic scientist through the evidence, carefully and thoroughly covering all of the highly technical material so that the jury and judge could understand it in layman's terms, he wondered where he'd gone wrong. Was it that he had stayed too long, much longer than he usually did?

Should he have taken that post as Team Leader in Rota? Why the Hell had he been in such a hurry to get off the Sea Hawk anyway? At least there he'd known the score even if the truth hadn't been pretty, that he had no one watching his back and that the whole crew hated his guts. As much as he hated being Agent Afloat, at least if he'd stayed there, he'd still be an investigator and he might have been able to start again somewhere else. Of course, if he had resigned from NCIS when Vance had broken up the team, he would have easily found another job, even if he'd ended up working for Tobes at the FBI.

He was jolted out of his musings by Balboa who gave his shoulder a subtle nudge alerting him that it was about to get interesting, so he figured the agent had seen him zone out. He nodded in thanks and refocused his attention on Faith Coleman as she rounded up the first part of Abby's testimony.

"And if we could turn to another matter, Miss Scuito, I'd like to explore the issue of Special Agent DiNozzo's supposed narcissism. I understand that the team has been indulging in a longstanding joke about Anthony DiNozzo's narcissism which has been going on behind his back. Is that correct?"

The Goth lowered her head, embarrassed. "Yes, and I know it's no excuse, but it was really a joke because Tony might act like he's egotistical, but anyone who knows him can tell you that it's just an act to make people underestimate him. He's always making sure other people are alright when they are hurt and he constantly puts his body between bullets and his team and perfect strangers and get embarrassed when people try to praise him or thank him for his courageous acts. I know because he saved me from an assassin's bullet and then covered my body with his own while he got me out of the line of fire. He's always downplayed the enormity of what he did and refuses to accept that he's my hero."

"Sounds like you owe him your life, Miss Scuito. So, it makes it hard for me to understand why you would chose to engage in such petty behaviour. Can you explain to the court why you decided to take part in the 'joking' at his expense if you didn't believe he was narcissistic?" Faith prodded gently but insistently, knowing there was a fine line between bullying and well founded censure when it came to witnesses and jury perceptions.

Tony could tell that Abby was close to tears and he sent her a silent message to get it together. She still needed to get through the cross examination, too, and if she collapsed in a heap, the forensic evidence would carry far less weight. The Weber's were counting on them.

Abby took a deep breath and answered Faith's question. "Tony's always been a team player. He diffuses tension when everyone else is at breaking point or we are all in a funk because of grisly horrific crimes and having to process them. Gibbs, the team leader, can be an extremely hard taskmaster when he's pursuing justice for victims, but Gibbs has mad Marine skills and Tony decided to play the role of class clown and be the scapegoat for his outbursts to shield the rest of us and make Gibbs feel better and help him focus. It's just how the team functions and I guess we just got used to using him to make us feel better. I'm ashamed to say it, but somehow we just got into the habit of trying to get under his skin and make him react because he is so upbeat all the time by not inviting him to a team dinner, make jokes at his expense and constantly putting him down.

"We've done some horrible things to him and he always forgives us. We mocked up a photo of him as a gay cowboy and another time, one of the team convinced him that a woman he was chatting with over the internet was a 300 pound male ex-con. His partners played a prank on him when he was trying to rest as ordered by the team leader after he was caught in a car bomb explosion where he saved both their lives when he took his Probationary Agent's place holding the bomb trigger and ordering the two junior members to safety. I mean Tony is super competent. He's like one of the best agents we've got and sometimes we forget that. Basically we have treated him like dirt and I am feeling pretty ashamed of my behaviour and that of my team. I really wish I'd been a better friend to him; one that was worthy of his friendship." She flashed a remorseful look at Tony, who was sitting watching her and nodded, acknowledging her, knowing too well he was being carefully scrutinised.

Tony was breathing deeply, trying to stay loose and relaxed, his body language open and his gaze steady and calm. He knew that he still had to make it through the cross examination phase of Abby's testimony, but he was desperate to be up and moving. He wondered if Jimmy would consider going for a run with him at lunch so he could burn off some stress hormones. Okay, he'd already run earlier that morning when he couldn't sleep, but seriously, this was way worse than being undercover and he would go crazy if he couldn't escape for a while.

It wasn't as if he could burn off his anger and hurt with a session at the punching bag, which is where he felt like going. He couldn't afford to do that, though, in case he did some serious damage to his hands, so he'd settle for a couple of miles around the Navy Yard with Jimmy to make sure he didn't overdo it. Not that Jimmy was a match for him when his temper was up, but since Palmer was a diabetic, he had to closely monitor his blood glucose levels and overdoing strenuous exercise was not advisable. Jimmy was his friend and he knew that his hurt and anger would push him into punishing himself, but with Jimmy beside him he would consider it his responsibility to watch out for his friend.

~Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up ~

Faith Coleman heaved a sigh of relief. She was almost finished questioning Abby. She was still in two minds about whether or not to bring up Tony's pranks or not. She was of the military and understood hazing, but she didn't think that DiNozzo's jokes and pranks were hazing so much as a method of compensating for working with someone who had a hair trigger temper, who was a type A personality and pushed his team well beyond what most individuals would or could endure, day after day. Deciding to dole out a little rope for her colleague Jefferies to hang himself with and to see if she had his strategy pegged correctly, she decided to finish up. She could redirect if necessary, but she rather thought that Abby might bamboozle Howard with her rambling. She had been pretty focused so far today because they had done trial prep and was a highly skill forensic expert, but based on her deposition yesterday, Faith felt that Abby could give him a run for his money if he tried to mess with her.

"Thank you, Miss Scuito, no further questions." She smiled at Abby, silently encouraging her to hold it together. Coleman wasn't concerned about her holding up to cross examination about her forensic evidence. She was a professional to her platform combat bootstraps, which she was conspicuously not wearing to court. She had already realised that the somewhat ditzy scientist wasn't completely rational when it came to her friends. She turned and walked away to sit down at the long table assigned for the prosecuting attorneys and she smiled confidently at Tony who was watching her intently.

She listened as Howard tried to trip the forensic scientist up on her evidence, but Abby was nothing if not professional and part of her job was giving evidence and she was well prepared. Being a Goth was probably good preparation, Faith concluded, in handling derision and doubt. Howard was unable to shake her testimony about the forensic evidence so he moved on to trying to discredit DiNozzo.

"So, Ms. Scuito, we are supposed to believe that you have all been joking about Special Agent DiNozzo having Narcissistic Personality Disorder when he was perfectly normal?" His voice, body language and facial expression showed how unlikely he found that scenario.

"Well, yeah, it might seem hinky, but it just sort of became a running joke. A pretty poor one and, like, so ironic because of course he's like the least narcissistic person. He never lets on about his post graduate degree or all the commendations he picked up over the years or that he's a pretty fair musician. He gets so embarrassed when people praise him, he only wants to win approval from the Bossman, um, I mean Special Agent Gibbs, so yeah, we were just joking."

"Come along, Ms. Scuito, you know how this works. You can't give evidence about what other people think or say or believe. It's inadmissible and based on assumptions."

"Fine, I was just joking, because I have known Tony for years and I know how very competent he is and I know that he isn't a narcissist."

"Thank you, Ms. Scuito. You mentioned Special Agent DiNozzo's competence, but isn't it the case that he has no special skills apart from his background as a former policeman. Isn't it a fact that he is barely competent and has to be constantly chased around by Special Agent Gibbs, supervising him constantly to ensure he does as he's told?" Jefferies directed a piercing stare at his witness as she recoiled at the question.

"That's just cr... um, wrong. Tony is super experienced and he and the Bossman have this thing going on that is so Batman and Robin, Lone Ranger and Toto…"

"Ms. Scuito…"

"… Michael Knight and Kitt, Holmes and Watson, Mario and Luigi or Crockett and Tubbs, and really they are both really hot enough to be Crockett and Tubbs, or Batman and Robin. They are simpatico and read each other's minds without talking, but …Tony is also a lone wolf like Superman and he could so totally rock the tights 'cause he's got the most awesome muscles on his ass and I should know since I've felt them when he saved me. He's also the best undercover agent we have and he is probably the most focused person I know…"

"Please, Ms. Scuito…" the defence lawyer attempted to halt the flow of verbal diarrhoea spewing forth from the outraged Goth. Unfortunately for Jefferies, Abby was used to running off at the mouth and nothing short of a Gibbs growl could halt her when she was in full flight, especially since she talked a mile a minute, thought Faith, smugly..

"…Well, Gibbs was pretty darned focused when he went after that asshole, um terrorist, Ari Haswari, and then he was pretty obsessed when there was the mo… um when we had a leak, but Timmy can also be pretty darned focused when he's being the Elf Lord…" She finally took a breath and Faith wondered if the forensic scientist was into snorkeling, which could explain her ability to say so much without having to breathe like other mere mortals.

"Thank you, Ms. Scuito, that is quite enough. So, can you confirm then that Gibbs doesn't have to head slap Special Agent DiNozzo constantly to get him to do his job?"

Faith rose to her feet, "Objection, Your Honour, calls for speculation."

Jefferies smirked, "My apologies to the court, I'll rephrase the question," He replied before the judge could rule on Faith's objection. The lawyer paused for effect before turning to Abby again. "Does Special Agent Gibbs head slap Special Agent DiNozzo on a regular basis while he's working?"

Abby looked alarmed. "Um, well… yes, but…"

"Thank you, Ms, Scuito. No further questions for this witness, Your Honour."

Howard Jefferies turned on his heels and sat down with a self-satisfied smirk. And a reassuring pat on his client's shoulder. Faith was trying to decide if she should redirect, but decided that she had this topic covered by her expert witness and those who were lining up to give character references for Tony as well.

~ Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up ~

The judge had adjourned for the luncheon break after Abby's highly technical and lengthy testimony, concluding with her emotional defence of him, so they were heading back to the office. Abby had raced over to where Balboa and Tony were sitting and launched herself at her friend, enveloping him in a fierce hug. Tony, knowing that he was still being observed took a deep breath and smiled his huge megawatt grin that he used so often and was oh so fake. His real smile was much more restrained, but few people ever saw it, so he was confident that he would look as if all was right in the DiNozzo world. Abby had blathered apologies and platitudes and blubbered guiltily as they walked and he handed her a virgin white handkerchief and placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her back to NCIS.

As they walked, Abby settled and began to make plans about how she could begin to make up for her terrible mistake when she realised that something was wrong. Tony was doing and saying all the right things, but something so innately Tony was missing, although she couldn't put her finger on what exactly.

"We're not fine are we, Tony?"

Her friend of almost eight years sighed deeply before dropping his façade briefly. "Abby, I know you're sorry. I know you didn't mean for all this crap to happen and I know that I normally forgive you guys no matter what you say or do, but no, we're not fine and I'm not ready to forgive you. And before you ask, I'm not sure if I will ever be able to forgive you."

He stared at her shattered expression finding that unlike his normal reaction when Abby was sad hurt or in pain, he didn't feel compelled to put aside his own pain to spare hers. "I trusted you and Ducky and Gibbs. I thought that you got me. Oh, I always knew that McGee and Ziva don't respect me and never will, but I really thought you were different. I told you things that I never told anyone. I sacrificed a huge part of me for the good of the team. I had plenty of offers when Gibbs abandoned us all, did I ever tell you that, Abs?"

She silently shook her head, her shoulders slumped as she processed what he said, but also how he spoke, so emotionless and surprisingly calm. She wished he'd get angry, shout and yell, she had it coming but somehow the complete absence of emotion was far scarier and she felt like it boded ill for their friendship. She heard him sigh again and knew he wasn't done yet.

"I could have taken any number of plumb jobs, but I stayed to keep the team together and all I had to show for it was a kick in the teeth from all of the team, even you. I should have taken the promotion to Rota as team lead when our great Messiah returned, but Gibbs' memory was still hinky. Sure, he managed to fool the docs and head shrinkers into clearing him, but I knew he wasn't fit so I stayed to keep an eye on the team. I ignored the teasing, the taunting, I overlooked the barbs and insubordination, the knowledge that nothing I did would ever be good enough for you all. I disregarded the fact that you would never trust me because as you all made sure that I knew, I wasn't Gibbs and never could hope to achieve those heady heights of Godliness."

He paused and waited until she finally looked him in the eyes, her pale green orbs glistening with unshed tears as they stared into his implacable chameleon green ones that changed depending upon his mood. "How could I argue with the honest to goodness truth or hold a grudge when you were all just stating an immutable fact," he asked her, " but Abby, I didn't deserve to be made a running joke for years by my teammates, and behind my back no less. When I joke about someone, even if it's Gibbs and his deteriorating eyesight or his caffeine addiction, I have the guts to do it to his face. I would never let anyone joke about you behind your back, especially when it was something that wasn't even true. So no, Abby, we are not fine." He smiled sadly, a smile so far removed from his usual Very Special Agent façade and when Abby went to return his handkerchief, he shook his head gently and patted her shoulder she felt as if someone just shot her puppy.

"Keep it, Abby." He extended his hand to the redoubtable Special Agent Balboa, "Thanks, Rocky," before striding away to the stairwell, solitary, yet strong and resolute.

A/N * If you want to take the Narcissistic personality Inventory

news/health/2009-03-16-pinsky-quiz_


	15. Chapter 15

A/N Thanks once again to Arress for the Beta for this chapter and pointing out the omissions. All errors are mine.

Just a quick thank you again to everyone for their reviews, favs and everyone who is following the story. Know that I read all reviews and appreciate your support.

Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up?

Chapter 15

Freshly showered and back in his work clothes with a salad sandwich, bottle of water and banana pressed into his hands by Palmer, Tony had allowed himself a minor eye roll before slapping the autopsy assistant on the back with a word of thanks. Jimmy was a really good guy and better friend. He immediately agreed to go for a run with him at lunch time and they'd run two clicks before Jimmy had faked a stitch in his side and suggested stopping. Although the kid was smart as a whip and would make an exceptional doctor in a year or two, he couldn't act his way out of a paper bag.

Tony didn't call him on his questionable stitch though, since he appreciated Jimmy's concern, and it was the reason he'd asked him to run with him in the first place. He did feel calmer, but then even as a kid, he'd always found that running was a panacea when he was feeling afraid, stressed, anxious or angry. He even ran when he was happy but he always tended to run further and push himself harder when the emotions he was fleeing from were negative ones.

Obviously not content with providing him with food, Palmer had then dragged Tony up onto the roof while they ate, clearly intend on making sure he did. He chatted for several minutes about one of his professors at med school, and Tony appreciated the small talk, since he was experiencing a minor meltdown at the thought of having to talk to Dr. McStar. He was massively allergic to shrinks and he was going to have to bare his soul shortly, as if the day hadn't already been so much fun already. At least Faith had assured him she didn't need him to go back to court until tomorrow when Ducky was up to give his evidence. Jimmy had already vetoed anyone else being his court room buddy tomorrow, although Tony had objected, not wanting Palmer to feel like he needed to pick sides. He hadn't told Jimmy, but since his future at NCIS was short-lived, he really didn't want him to make his career more difficult than it already was between him and Ducky. Despite telling him that Cassie was coming to court tomorrow, the geeky young man was obdurate and insisted he'd swap with her instead.

~ Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up ~

Sitting beside Tony the next day waiting for the proceedings to get under way, Jimmy could feel the nervous energy vibrating off him, even though they'd gone for another run during the lunch break. He hadn't been as successful today in persuading his friend to eat, but he could understand how hard this was on the senior field agent. Tony had been friends with Ducky for a long time, and Jimmy knew that his mentor was also extremely upset about what had happened. The autopsy assistant realised that Tony was feeling guilty that he was here today to support him, since he felt he was putting Jimmy in an awkward situation with Dr. Mallard. The truth was, however, that the ME had insisted that Jimmy be here to support Tony.

Although he didn't excuse what Dr. Mallard had done, or indeed any of the team, who apart from the dumb narcissist joke had taken delight in making Tony look and feel stupid as a sport for far too long, he knew the ME was doing it tough. He had already stopped profiling duties for NCIS, stating he had abused his position and lost credibility, and Jimmy knew how proud Ducky had been when he'd earned his Master's Degree in Psychology. Even though he felt sorry for him, he still couldn't reconcile how his mentor, who he had looked up to ever since starting at NCIS, could have sold out his principles like that. Honestly, he felt a bit like a kid who had learnt that Santa Claus wasn't real and the grown-ups had been lying to him for years. It hurt!

As anxious as he knew Tony was feeling, Jimmy almost felt a switch being flipped as Dr. Mallard entered and took his seat on the witness stand. Tony flashed one of his grins at the ME, and if he didn't know any better, he would think that things were totally fine between Ducky and Tony. He noticed his mentor momentarily look surprised, then he quickly regrouped and beamed back at DiNozzo before summoning up a suave grin for Lieutenant Commander Coleman. Jimmy had gathered that his boss had probably been something of a ladies' man in his time and could probably have given Gibbs or Tony a run for their money.

With his old-fashioned charm and manners, Ducky tended to make a positive impression on the opposite sex, and Jimmy hoped that it would be enough to balance the consequences of admitting to perpetrating a longstanding joke, well, more like a hatchet job, on Tony for years. If the jury took a dislike to him, they could possibly discount his evidence, but he also was tasked with resurrecting Tony's reputation. It was a delicate balancing act, like walking a tightrope.

And suddenly Palmer understood how critical it was for Tony to have to play his part by turning up and acting as if everything was fine between himself and the team. He had always heard that Tony was a talented undercover agent, but he had to admit, knowing how much he was hurt and then seeing the change as he interacted with Ducky, his protégé had to admit that he found the dramatic change a bit freaky. It did explain why Tony needed to run all the time and why when he did run, he seemed to be punishing himself with the pace that he set. You can try to run from people or from feelings, but you couldn't run from yourself, and that is what he really wanted to do. It must suck so bad to have to pretend to be all buddies with people that had caused him pain and he thought had been friends.

Palmer thought about Abby crying on his shoulder yesterday after she'd given her testimony because Tony had told her that he didn't know if he would be able to forgive her. She had cried a bucket load of tears and wanted him to tell her how to fix things between her and Tony, but even though his mom had taught him that he should be kind to everyone, he struggled to stay empathetic. Truthfully, he was actually happy that Tony wasn't being a doormat for once. After letting Abby vent and listening to her increasingly fanciful plans to win Tony's forgiveness for almost an hour, he'd finally decided to speak his mind and tell the Goth scientist that sometimes you couldn't fix what had been broken. Jimmy knew that it was a message that Abby didn't want to hear, but then there were times when he thought that she lived in La-La land. He honestly wasn't sanguine that Tony could forgive the team.

Resolving to head around to Tony's with takeout Thai food tonight, he figured a night playing computer games might be the ideal distraction for him after the stress of the last few days. He guessed the fact that the hotshot celebrity psychologist who was going to give expert testimony tomorrow was going to be making Tony nervous, since he was so obsessively private. Jimmy wouldn't relish having someone talk about his state of mind either, and he'd had a pretty mundane childhood and education. Nothing that anyone would blink twice at, but from the little that Tony had shared, it wasn't surprising that he wouldn't want it broadcast to the entire courtroom.

He watched, rapt as Faith Coleman expertly led his mentor through his professional training, education, experience and his memberships of professional peer associations as she established the ME's bona fides to give evidence about the post mortem findings. Jimmy looked across at Tony who looked as if he was zoned out, although he knew that he was still tracking what was going on with part of his brain. The guy was a mental multitasker, and Jimmy actually thought his brain functioned better, the more processing he had to do simultaneously.

Meanwhile, he couldn't help but be fascinated by the whole process of giving evidence. He'd watched Dr. Mallard testify a few times in the past, but he couldn't help but think that one day when he was a medical examiner, he would be up there with the responsibility for making sure that the jury received the information to convict a killer or rapist, and he had to admit the prospect scared him a little. One day he and Tony would be the new Gibbs and Ducky as they both took over for their mentors, and he wondered if Tony ever felt like he wouldn't be able to live up to his predecessor.

Doubtful, he'd led the team for four months a few years ago, and despite the fact that Tony had had to drag the team kicking and screaming along for the ride, he'd maintained the freakish case closure rate established when Gibbs had been at the helm. Even then, he'd been an experienced cop and agent, but he knew that his friend would be supportive when he assumed the role of ME. Even now, he listened to his opinions and didn't make him feel like he was just a lowly assistant and med student.

~ Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up~

Faith regarded her witness as they dispensed with the preliminaries and moved on to the details of his findings. Dr. Donald Mallard was a pro when it came to giving evidence in court. He had plenty of practice and he also had a courtly air that made him sympathetic to a judge and jury, and had a humorous, somewhat eccentric demeanour that made him easy to listen to, even when he was presenting highly technical forensic data. Unlike many experts who seemed incapable of condensing technical information into laymen's terms without sounding patronising or losing the import of what needed to be conveyed, he seemed able to achieve it effortlessly. Furthermore, he was always well prepared, and even before doing trial prep with a lawyer, had identified areas where a defence attorney could zero in and would prepare possible responses in anticipation. In summary, he was a prosecutor's fantasy expert!

Well, he had been until this FUBAR situation reared its ugly head. He was now tainted with anything to do with profiling, although there was still a possibility that with time he may rehabilitate his reputation. Time would tell, but she would be recommending to the rest of JAG not to utilise him as a profiler at the moment and to err on the side of caution. As Faith completed her introductory process, she could already feel the jury starting to open up and relate to Ducky, so taking a steadying breath, she started with the first part of his testimony.

Although Faith wasn't particularly nervous about the evidence they were presenting in the forensic section, since the Ensign's death was a reasonably garden variety drug overdose, it would be stupid to be over confident. As they got into the details of the cause of death, she felt the familiar rhythm starting to build, which she had noticed before when working with Ducky. It was as if they became in sync, almost like they were playing a duet together and anticipated each other's thoughts and reactions, and she relaxed. Knowing how much was riding on the second part of his testimony; she was relieved to be in her zone, starting to experience the euphoria of being ten feet high and bullet proof. They could absolutely do this next part and put that scumbag away.

Steeling herself, she took a cleansing breath and looked the ME deep in the eyes. "Moving on, Dr. Mallard, I understand that you were also party to an ongoing series of jokes about Special Agent DiNozzo having Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Would that be correct?"

Ducky looked at her contritely. "Alas, my dear, to my shame, I have to admit to being a party to the contemptible act."

"Why the shame, Doctor?" she asked.

"Well, my dear, firstly because I have always considered Anthony to be a good friend and a fine agent, and it was juvenile and hurtful behaviour. Most importantly, I suppose, is that he isn't a narcissist or suffering from NPD either. In fact, although Anthony has a couple of traits that make up narcissism, so do most people. Actually, everyone on the team, who were ironically in on the joke, would actually measure high on some of those traits, too, or other different ones. If that was enough to diagnose narcissism, then the whole lot of us here in this courtroom would, no doubt, also fit the label as well. Take myself as an example; of the qualities most often associated with narcissism of superiority, entitlement, exploitiveness, vanity, self-sufficiency, exhibitionism and authoritarianism, I am rather vain and hedonistic myself." Ducky paused and Faith stayed silent, knowing he hadn't finished.

"I have a preference for Savile Row tailoring and fine fabrics. I adore my bow ties and braces, and I like that my turnout sets me apart from my colleagues when I set foot in a room. It helps to define me as an individual. I have always taken pride in my reputation as being dapper and well turned out, and frankly it hasn't done me any harm in wooing the opposite sex, either." He chortled cheekily and flashed a grin at the jury. "Or take another characteristic that might be described as exhibitionism, perhaps. Many people may accuse me of hogging the limelight with my many anecdotes that have been numerously described as outlandish, zany, long winded; and those are the polite descriptions. Or even the fact that I sometimes talk to my patients during autopsies, which people might construe as exhibitionism or eccentricity depending on your viewpoint, although the geneses of both behaviours are probably quite different.

"So, Lieutenant Commander, I could probably make a case for anyone to be viewed as a narcissist, but that doesn't mean that they have NPD, which is a personality disorder recognised by the American Psychiatric Association and diagnosable as per the DSM IV diagnostic criteria. Anthony DiNozzo doesn't have NPD, and should I score a ton, I will regret my actions in participating in a stupid joke that may have led anyone to believe otherwise." He looked over and exchanged contrite looks with each of the jury.

Faith knew that they were almost there. The jury was definitely relating to Ducky and empathetic rather than judgemental, although Ducky was evidently tottering slightly on the edge since he'd gone off the agreed script and she could see several befuddled looks. She wasn't too clear either, so it was time to clarify before finishing up while the going was good.

"I'm sorry, Doctor, but perhaps you could explain to the court about how making a ton of money would be relevant in this situation?"

Ducky chuckled. "Oh dear, my apologies to the court, I'm afraid I used a sporting analogy inadvertently. As a young student at Eton in England, I developed a rather abiding and fanatical love for the wonderful game of cricket. To score a ton, refers to a batsman scoring one hundred runs or a century, which is a rather rare achievement, and I simply meant that if I lived to be one hundred years of age, I will never be able to make up it to Anthony for how I behaved. I am so very sorry, my boy.

She noted that Tony smiled and acknowledged the apology and she had to give credit where credit was due. He was convincing, and the jury had bought it, too. Deciding to leave it at that, knowing she could always redirect if it proved necessary, she decided it was time to inform the court she was done. Faith had always subscribed to the maxim, as per one of her law professors, that less was more. She had plenty of witnesses to speak for Tony, so she was going to stop now.

"Thank-you for your time, Dr. Mallard, I have no further questions today."

Ducky bowed his head, acknowledging her and she sat down again, wondering what Howard would do, apart from trying to refute the forensic evidence. Given that it was the most basic of trial strategies, even if he knew the chance of tripping up the respected medical examiner was almost zero, if he didn't at least try to catch Ducky out, it would amount to legal negligence. Still, she and Ducky had done their due diligence, so she was confident and besides, she was more interested to see where he would go with Ducky after trying to dispute his findings.

~ Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up ~

Howard Jefferies turned and marched over to the table where his notes were waiting. He had known it was almost pointless to try and shake Dr. Mallard on his post mortem findings, but of course as a defence lawyer, he still had to go through the motions. The fact that he had done his best to shake him up, dispute his conclusions and just generally rattle him and had nothing to show for it was frustrating, yet not wholly unexpected since he hadn't really expected anything else. What was the old definition of insanity… doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result? Well, that was what it was like coming up against the NCIS medical examiner, and yet if he didn't continue to try and break down his testimony, he would be deemed legally incompetent. Life wasn't fair!

The old dinosaur could probably give forensic evidence whilst in a coma, he was so old. Maybe he should have attacked him on his geriatric status. Something to explore next time he guessed, that was if he had to face him before his time was up. Meanwhile, he was in two minds where to go with the cross examination; sort of fork of the road time. Decisions, decisions!

Coleman may have taken the wind out of their sails with her witnesses admitting they had been saying that Special Agent DiNozzo had Narcissistic Personality Disorder, even if they were trying to spin it that it was some lame joke. He'd been all set to play the security footage of that conversation that Michelle Lee had overheard and make liars out of Gibbs and the good doctor, but Faith had beat him to it and had them fall on their swords in such a nauseating fashion. He was pissed that she outmaneuvered him, but he was confident that this time he would be the one to catching her on the back foot. At the moment the jury might be buying that dumb ass explanation, but he had proof that was going to make them all look like stupid liars with their so called 'joke' and prove that DiNozzo was incompetent and narcissistic, and open the floodgates to the possibility that he might plant evidence.

Jefferies wasn't ready to show his hand yet since Coleman was a smart operator, so he was going let Ducky's testimony about DiNozzo's NPD go unchallenged, especially since the silly old bastard had developed a rapport with the jury. It was a mug's game to try and mess with a witness when that happened, but once Leroy Jethro Gibbs took the stand, he wouldn't have to worry about him being liked by the jury. The man hated lawyers with a passion and was easily riled by defence attorneys when he gave evidence. He might be a fearsome investigator and a deadly sniper, but the guy was way too predictable when it came to cross examination. No, he had other plans instead for Dr. Donald Mallard's cross examination today.

Aware that everyone was looking at him expectantly, while the judge was getting irritated, he quickly checked his notes one more time.

"So, if we could move on to another matter, Dr. Mallard. Would it be fair to say that you have worked with the Major Case Response Team for many years now?"

Ducky nodded gravely. "Indeed, that would be correct, Lieutenant Commander."

"So, you were the medical examiner before Special Agent DiNozzo joined the Naval Criminal Investigative Service?"

"Yes, I was the ME eight years ago when he joined us from Baltimore PD and became…"

Jefferies interrupted knowing the Scottish born medico's propensity to give long winded answers. "Yes, thank you, Doctor. So, you will have had the opportunity to observe Special Agents DiNozzo and Gibbs interacting in a variety of situations over the years. Can you confirm that Special Agent Gibbs has a habit of hitting his senior field agent on the head?"

"Indeed, Lieutenant Commander. Special Agent Gibbs has his own rather unique methods of focusing his team," he stated carefully. "I believe he refers to it as the Gibbs' Slap."

"So, the purpose of him slapping his agents over the head is to focus their investigatory processes?" Howard asked; his tone and inflection conveying his incredulity.

"Well, yes, but Special Agent Gibbs doesn't hit his agents over the head, Lieutenant Commander." Ducky corrected. "As he explained his head slapping technique to me, a slap to the face humiliates, but a slap to the back of the head helps to focus," Ducky explained carefully.

"So, let me get this straight, Doctor. The so called 'Gibbs' Slap' involves him slapping the recipient on the back of the head and its purpose is to help the beneficiary to focus their attention, not as a form of discipline or humiliation? I must say that it sounds a very unorthodox way to manage people. Is it a widely used technique at NCIS?"

Ducky was looking puzzled. "Yes, that is correct, only the back of the head and to refocus. I believe that Special Agent Gibbs is the only one to employ it, but he learnt the method from his former supervisor, Special Agent Michael Franks, who was also a former Marine like Gibbs, so perhaps that explains it."

Jefferies nodded seriously." I see, so as someone who has also done your own fair share of military service yourself, do you use the head slap as a means of helping your young assistant to focus, since I believe he sometimes allows his youthful enthusiasm to run away on him?"

Ducky flushed, obviously rattled for the first time since taking the stand, and Howard felt a surge of triumph. "No, Lieutenant Commander, I do not."

Unsure what had upset Mallard, but unwilling to look a gift horse in the mouth, he pushed on. "Why don't you, Dr. Mallard?"

"For the same reason that physical discipline is considered to be undesirable method of controlling children, I would hazard a guess. It can quickly get out of hand when emotions are running hot and the head, especially at the back of the skull, contains a highly crucial region of the brain that can easily be damaged leading to cessation of vital functions, including breathing. But then again, I am not a Marine with very specific training in unarmed combat, either."

"Thank you Doctor, I have no further questions." Howard sat down beside his client, looking rather pleased with himself.

~ Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up ~

Faith frowned. She had expected Howard to go after Ducky about the teasing of Tony over the NDP, but he seemed to have a bee in his bonnet over the head slapping. She figured he was going to go after Gibbs about it, too, on cross examination, but she had Tony covered so Jefferies couldn't claim that it was proof that Tony was incompetent, since she had plenty of witnesses to testify and evidence to back it up if she needed to use them. Still, she was going to have to give Gibbs a heads-up so he wasn't hijacked on the stand, especially in light of Ducky's testimony. She wasn't exactly sure what her opponent had hoped to achieve today, but she didn't think that he succeeded, apart from getting Ducky to admit that it was inadvisable to go around slapping people on the back of the head. Duh, hardly earth shattering news there!


	16. Chapter 16

A/N Thanks once again to Arress for the Beta for this chapter and pointing out the omissions. All errors are mine.

Just a quick thank you again to everyone for their reviews, favs and everyone who is following the story. Know that I read all reviews and appreciate your support.

Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up?

Chapter 16

Tony decided to give up on sleep since he had been lying in his bed for several hours just staring at the darkened ceiling, contemplating everything that had happened since this damned trial had begun. Accepting that he wasn't going to get any further shuteye, he rose and threw on some running gear grabbing his IPod to help distract him as he ran. At 0415 it was still dark, and he figured he had time for a longer run than usual today.

As he warmed up and stretched prior to his run, his thoughts turned to the day in court. Today was going to be a big one with the celebrity shrink giving evidence, cutting Jefferies' claims off at the knees that Tony had NPD. He would be glad when it was over, though.

According to Susan, his score on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory wasn't even approaching the average score, let alone one of someone with narcissistic tendencies. Sure, he'd scored high on traits of exhibitionism and vanity, but that was hardly a shock. He'd been weaned at his mother's breast to believe that appearances were everything and if you got it flaunt it. Well, he would have, except that she had bottle fed him and that, according to one of the analysts his father sent him to after her death, was the root cause of his many issues, but that was beside the point. As an athlete, he'd always been proud of his body and the effort it took to maintain it to perform at an elite level, and he wasn't ever going to start apologising for that now. While he was no longer an elite athlete, he still needed to stay fit to chase down dirtbags and keep his lungs as healthy as possible. Even now, without being so fit, he wouldn't have made it back from all the injuries, or even made it back into the field after contracting the plague four years ago.

And while he was an exhibitionist up to a point, it was usually in the guise of one of his outrageous personas; the private person was a different kettle of fish, and he intended to keep it that way. Seeing that exhibitionism was a necessary component of undercover work, he wasn't too concerned to learn that he scored high on that trait either. He tried not to focus on the fact that his career in the field or undercover was now in the past. Regardless of the shrink's expert testimony today, he was going to be looking for a new career before too much longer. Faith had urged him yesterday not to resign impulsively, but to take a leave of absence so they could seek some expert legal opinions before he did anything hasty. She said she wanted him to speak to the Judge Advocate General and the Federal Attorney General's department and some of the state AGs, too. He would take her advice, even if both of them knew already knew what the legal opinions would be.

Tony had intended on speaking to Jimmy last night to prepare him gently for the fact that his career in law enforcement was shot to hell and he would have to resign when all this was over. However, when the Autopsy Gremlin arrived, he was upset that Jefferies had impugned his reputation that day in court. Deciding to take Palmer's mind off the dirty tactics that were part and parcel of making sure that dirtbags got a fair trial while dumb shmucks like them just had to grin and bear it when their integrity was called into question, he handed him a gluten free beer. Dragging his friend to the sofa and his X-box, the two of them lost themselves while they waited for the Thai food to be delivered. After they'd eaten, he'd taken a deep breath, getting ready to talk about his future or lack thereof at NCIS, when there was knock at his door.

He looked at Palmer, tacitly asking if any of the support crew was planning on dropping by, since he wasn't expecting anyone. Sensing the shrug, he moved to the door to open it, hoping it was someone who had come to the wrong apartment, since he really didn't feel like making nice with visitors. With Jimmy he could just be himself and tonight he wanted to make like the Elf Lord and lose himself in a fantasy world where the good guys kicked butt and the baddies had their asses kicked and everyone lived happily ever after. Okay, if that made him sound like a fourteen year old, then so be it. Being cynical and dealing with reality sucked, so he decided a time out was in order.

"You better be really good looking if you're expecting to come inside," he chaffed hoping to see Cassie or Nikki on the other side of the door as he flung it wide open, only to discover someone else standing there, looking somewhat embarrassed. He groaned, knowing that he should have seen it coming, but really he thought that Ducky would have more wherewithal than Abby. Surely he didn't expect that they could have a tearful reconciliation scene just because of the soul baring in court?

"Ducky, I really didn't expect to see you here tonight. I so don't want to have this conversation now or even ever, but I'll settle for doing it tomorrow."

The ME grimaced, "I know that, Anthony. I haven't come here to beg your forgiveness. I know it isn't that simple or easy. That isn't why I wanted to see you. May I speak to you for five minutes, please?

Tony stepped aside and allowed him to enter and Ducky nodded at Palmer, glad to see him there, if his look of approval was anything to go by.

"Okay, I guess. Do you want to step into the other room?"

The elderly man looked pained but shook his head. "No Anthony, I don't mind speaking in front of Mr. Palmer, but if after I ask you my question and you wish to respond privately or not at all, then I understand completely."

Tony and Jimmy exchanged puzzled looks before Tony shrugged and nodded.

"Go ahead, Ducky."

"Thank you, Anthony. I've been trying to figure out the conversation you and Lieutenant Commander had the other day, the one where you were both talking in front of Dr. Faber and myself. Then later on when I saw you call out Jethro, it made me wonder. Yes, I know you've called him out before and I've seen you angry, too, but this time it was different… You were different, like you had decided that it didn't matter anymore if we saw the real you. Only one reason that I can think of – are you resigning, Anthony?"

Tony looked at Jimmy and shrugged. He was going to talk to him about this, so there was no reason not to answer Ducky. "Yeah, I am, Ducky, once this trial is over."

Ducky looked stricken. ""I see, so you are leaving Jethro's team?" Jimmy looked shocked, too.

"Sorry, Gremlin, I was gonna tell you, but we got interrupted by Ducky and well there's no easy way to say it, anyway." He turned back to the ME and answered his question. "Gibbs' team, NCIS, Field work, law enforcement," he stated stony-faced.

"But why, Tony? I get wanting to leave Gibbs' team, but why leave NCIS, why leave law enforcement? It is your life… I just don't get it." Jimmy was babbling in his endearing fashion.

"It was my life, Jimmy. I don't want to, but I don't have a choice. I'm tainted, a liability. There's enough mud now that every defence attorney will drag out all this crap to try and discredit any evidence I collect in the future, just to try and plant reasonable doubt in the minds of the jury. I've seen it happen to a couple of good cops and they became a liability and never worked again. One drowned herself in the bottle and the other ate his own gun. I'm just getting in first." Tony saw the panic on Jimmy's face and hastened to add, "Not that I'm planning on doing anything dumb. I had to find a new career when Brad busted my leg. I'll just have to do it again, I guess."

Jimmy looked relieved. "But you could be wrong, Tony. You're not an attorney."

Tony shook his head. "I'm not, Jimbo, but Faith is, although she wants me to talk to the Judge Advocate General and the Federal Attorney General and their counterparts in Virginia and Maryland before I do anything, rash. But," he said, seeing the hope in Jimmy's eyes, "Even if we're wrong, I'll still resign from NCIS. I thought we were family. I stayed after Gibbs came back from Mexico and I know now I should have gone to Rota and led my own team. When Vance reassigned me as Agent Afloat I should have resigned then, found a job with the Fibbies. Now I have run out of options. I guess I can always teach, since I make a pretty good fake lecturer into cinematography. Why I didn't take Jeanne's offer to leave with her, I'll never know."

Jimmy put his hand on Tony's shoulder. "I hope I'm still family, Tony."

Tony smiled and pointedly ignored Ducky, "Yeah, Gremlin, you are… always if ya want."

Ducky nodded, "Well, thank you, Anthony, I guess that answered my questions. I will see you tomorrow."

Tony walked him to the door and as he headed out the door, he spoke sotto voce so Jimmy wouldn't hear. "Don't do it, Ducky. It isn't going to change anything!"

The medical examiner looked shocked. "How did you know?"

"You're pretty easy to read. Like I say, won't change anything."

Ducky shook his head sadly, "Not between us, I agree, but I am not willing to concede that it won't make a difference, at the very least to me, my boy."

Tony shrugged, unwilling to argue the toss. "Well, just think about it, Ducky. I'll see you tomorrow."

~ Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up~

Tony sat waiting for the video link to be established between the military tribunal and the celebrity shrink, Dr. McStar, but there seemed to be technical difficulties in getting it up and functioning. Cassie Yates sat beside him in the public seats directly behind Faith Coleman and she was trying to make small talk with him to keep his mind off the coming testimony. It wasn't exactly a secret that Tony hated being sent to the psychologist for mandatory counselling sessions, but he never seemed to have a problem persuading their shrinks he was fine to come back to work. Even when he caught the plague and ended up nearly drowning in his own lungs, he was back to work, ridiculously soon in her opinion.

As they chatted about current movies, since she didn't think he'd be up to it anything more challenging right now, Faith was conferring on her cell phone and whispering to the Judge's clerk before speaking to the techies again. Finally, it became apparent that whatever technical aspects were causing the delay, the Judge was getting antsy and Faith soon announced that they would call another witness while the techies worked on both of ends of the video snafu. When the delay was revealed, there was a palpable sigh around the court.

Looking around the crowded public seating area of the hearing room, Tony could see that it was filled with mostly JAG personnel, who it seemed had heard that Dr. McStar was giving evidence and they all wanted to be there. Although he was hoping that no one would turn up, he knew that wasn't realistic, and given the choice between have JAG and NCIS personnel, he'd take the former. Although, with the rate that scuttlebutt spread around the Naval Yard, it wouldn't be that long before everybody knew what had been said in the court.

Faith had been consulting her notes and witness schedule, then nodded to the trial clerk who called the court to order. The Judge came in and got situated and everything got into gear. Faith stood up and called her first witness of the day.

"The court calls Special Agent Fornell to the stand," the clerk intoned.

Fornell entered the court and flashed a sardonic grin at Cassie and Tony before getting himself comfortable in the witness box. He talked about working several cases with Tony when he'd been Lead Agent of the MCRT and how his work was professional and had resulted in successful convictions. Faith also asked him about the murder investigation that he had conducted where Tony had been the chief suspect after a pair of legs were found along with Tony's blood, DNA, dentition and fibres from the trunk of his car were recovered. Tobias explained that he'd been framed for a non-existent murder by a disgruntled forensic scientist who had been sacked after Detective DiNozzo working in Baltimore had complained about mishandling of forensic evidence. In Fornell's opinion, being falsely accused of murder because of planted evidence made it even more unlikely that he would plant evidence since he knew what it felt like.

Of course, it was inevitable that Jefferies would bring up being accused of killing Rene Benoit's murder during cross examination, but Fornell was a seasoned agent and didn't trip up. He stuck faithfully to the script that their favourite CIA sleazoid, posing as an undercover arms dealer, was to blame. Tony wasn't sure if Tobias knew that it was Jenny who had killed Rene, which was how she was able to demolish Jeanne's testimony so easily, but he certainly managed to keep a straight face while sticking to the G-rated version and Jefferies never succeeded in getting a hit. After he left the witness stand, Fornell made a motion indicating he'd call Tony later, and he felt a little surprised since their relationship was not that congenial.

Faith then brought in a succession of character witnesses, including the Captains of the USS Ronald Reagan and the Seahawk to testify that due to his proactive policing approach, infractions and crimes by the crew had gone down significantly while Tony had been agent afloat. Faith had his superior from Baltimore Homicide Squad testify about his outstanding solve rate and skills, but she didn't have anyone else ready to testify, and although the video link between JAG and California was now fully functioning, Dr. McStar was retaping a segment of his television show and wouldn't be available until after lunch. Rather than wait for other witnesses to make their way to the Naval Yard, the Judge called an early luncheon recess. Switching on his cell phone, Tony noticed that Fornell had left a message to call him so they could meet somewhere halfway between the Hoover Building and the Naval Yard during the lunch break.

Tony let his support buddy know that they were going to lunch with Fornell.

"Any idea what he wants, Tony, I didn't know you were best buds?" Cassie asked, curiously.

"Not really and not really, Cass, but I can guess. He wants to let me down gently."

Cassie started choking, the expression on her face priceless. "Something you've been holding back, DiNozzo?"

Tony smirked briefly. "I mean professionally, you idjut. He's been trying to get me to defect since before I said yes to Gibbs, but he can't afford me anymore. I'm tainted."

Cassie objected, "You don't know that for sure, Tony!"

"Yeah, I do, I am poison, I'm afraid. The FBI can't take that chance, and no other agency or PD can, either."

Tony could tell that Fornell was surprised by the appearance of Cassie, but quickly recovered as they slipped into the booth of the diner which was still relatively deserted. "Your new partner is much better looking than Jethro, DiNotzo."

"Yeah, and she won't threaten to kill ya forty different ways with a paper clip like another one either, Fornelli. Do you know Cassie Yates?"

"No, I'd definitely remember her if I had." He smiled across at the agent.

The two NCIS Agents rolled their eyes and Cassie giggled. Tony did the introductions, "NCIS Special Agent Cassandra Yates meet FBI Special Agent Tobias Fornell, who shared a wife with Gibbs by the way, oops an ex-wife," he corrected when he saw Fornell's scowl. "Cassie is part of my own personal cheer squad, which is why she is here with me today."

Fornell suddenly looked serious, "Hey kid, what happened sucks. When the Lieutenant Commander approached me, I couldn't believe it when she told me. Hope I helped some."

"Thanks, Tobias, I appreciate it." He paused, and decided that while baiting Fornell was sport, he wasn't in the mood and the topic wasn't funny. So he decided to do him a favour and let him off the hook. "You didn't have to take me to lunch to break the bad news, Tobias. I know the job offer is null and void. Not stupid, I'm going to have to find myself a new career, maybe teaching once this is all over. It's okay, really, I'm not angry with you… I know the score, man. I owe you for testifying."

Fornell looked pretty pissed himself. "I'm sorry, Tony. If it'd help, I'm more than willing to whoop their asses for you. But I just wanted to tell you that the grapevine is in meltdown and there is a whisper doing the rounds about an amorphous group that are asking about you. They want to know everything about you, especially your undercover work, so I just wanted to give you a heads up."

"Thanks, Tobias, but I think I've had enough of working on a need to know basis. Between Shepard, Gibbs and Vance I'm fed up with schemes and plots. C'mon, let's eat, we do have to head back to court for the famous shrink, although I'd rather stay here and get pissed instead. Think I'll have the fish."

When they were heading back to the trial, Cassie looked at him and asked, "Were you kidding about him a Gibbs sharing a wife?"

"Nope, wife number two, Diane, and she apparently cleaned out both their bank accounts, too."

"OUCH, that must have hurt."

"Way I heard it; he's still paying alimony, too. She must be a piece of work." Tony thought about his step-mothers and how his father seemed to be no more capable of finding a wife than Gibbs. It seemed like a costly hobby.

Cassie chuckled as they walked into the Naval Yard. "Why didn't Gibbs warn him?"

"Tobias wouldn't listen," Tony revealed. "But still, I think that even with all that pain and humiliation, he wouldn't change a thing because he ended up with Emily, his daughter."

They walked into the court room and resumed their seats, having arrived back from lunch early. Tony looked at Cassie and groaned before becoming serious. "I really don't want to be here. I wish I could just hide under the bed or something." His features brightened momentarily. "Wanna play hooky?"

Cassie laughed and smacked him gently on the wrist. "Hey, I know, Tony, you're allergic to psychologists, we've all noticed."

He smirked, "And psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, counsellors and therapists. My parents sent me to just about every shrink and a lot of quacks in New York when I was a kid. Took me years to figure out that it wasn't me that needed it, well, maybe I did, but only because they are so freaking screwed up."

Faith come in and smiled at Cassie and Tony and said softly, "I know this is difficult, especially the psychological testimony. I decided to have Captain Wong testify prior to Dr. McStar. Howard will expect more character references from her, but we'll hit him with the fake report. I'm betting he's going to fold like a bad hand of poker. Hey, by the way, Susan called in a few favours and tracked down Dr. Kristina Ferguson. By the way, I asked an independent lab to analyse that fake report for DNA that was in your Philadelphia file since the cops will take too long. We will get her, Tony. Susan is going to try and get her registration yanked and we'll make sure she doesn't work as a profiler again. I know that it's a pretty small comfort, but it's the very least we can do."

Tony nodded, appreciating how personally Susan Faber had taken this matter since he wasn't exactly on great terms with the psych staff, although he was willing to maybe change his opinion when it came to the Head Psychologist. Before they could talk further, the Judge emerged and they were soon called to order.

Tony was looking forward to Howard Jefferies up-chucking his lunch when Faith tabled the fake psych report created for his undercover persona Anton DeMarco, along with the identical report that had been dummied up with his real name on it. She also had the forensic report outlining that it had been added to his file by removing the original staples and securing it with new ones. So when Grace started giving evidence about his squeaky clean record via video from Philly, Tony kept his eye firmly fixed on Jefferies and whispered to Cassie to keep an eye on him, too. So while he could hear Captain Wong lavishing praise on him over his faultless record, he was watching the smug grin on Jefferies slimy supercilious dial. He couldn't wait for Faith and Captain Wong to wipe it off his face.

And when Grace dropped the dime on the fact that someone had taken a dummied up psychology report that had been written for an undercover operation to catch a serial killer and put it into Tony's file, he wished he could take a photo. He tried to burn the memory into his brain, since it was probably the only payback he would get for having his reputation trashed and his career ruined. So, he stared at Jefferies, cataloguing the doubt, the fury, the disbelief that all flashed across the scumbag's face, especially as he was given a copy of the original psychological report that had been created for his undercover mission. Initially there was denial, then the delicious sight that was burgeoning awareness of the truth as Jefferies saw that it was an exact copy. Tony noticed how then his face sort of collapsed, and while he managed to finally collect himself and mask his emotions, the experienced agent could still see the anger burning in his eyes. Already deciding to send Grace some flowers and chocolates as thanks, he grinned at Cassie who was trying not to laugh like a lunatic. Karma's a bitch!

As the Techs got the shrink on the screen, the excitement in the room was palpable, looking over, even the jury looked excited, and he supposed that was a good thing since this whole shebang was organised to influence the jury. Tony would hate to think he was doing all this crap for nothing. He'd heard all the JAG types babbling on, and it seemed like the thing they all wanted to know was would he use some of his famous down home homilies and well established tags during the testimony. As the testimony got underway, he tuned out the biography section as Faith walked McStar through his educational credentials in psychology and his professional experience. Tony took a deep breath and re-engaged as the testimony got underway. Already the charisma that had earned the shrink a spot on the box as a celebrity was working its charm on the courtroom, and he soon had the jury eating out of the palm of his hand.

McStar had promised to try and steer the testimony away from anything that was personal but not relevant if possible, although on cross examination he couldn't control the questions. Tony just hoped that the evidence that Grace had presented might have convinced Jefferies to back off, but he knew that he'd still be looking for dirt.

The shrink had started out explaining that on the basis of several psychologists' structured interviews that Special Agent DiNozzo didn't meet the diagnostic criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder. That a minimum of five conditions needed to be present to be diagnosed with NPD, and that definitely hadn't been met, and looking over his file, while he had no doubt that Special Agent DiNozzo had as many flaws as the next person, despite superficial appearances, he was not anymore narcissistic that the average. He also explained that while the Narcissistic Personality Inventory was used more as a research tool than a diagnostic aid, it had also been administered and scored for the purposes of the trial.

"So," he drawled in his southern twang, "Out of a score of 40, the test developer, who was not narcissistic by the way, scored 16/40 for his own test. Anthony DiNozzo scored 10/40 for that particular test." The shrink chuckled, "As a resident of Hollywood, it mightn't surprise you to know that my own score is higher. All I'll admit to is I scored higher than the test developer's score." The down home charm was in super abundance and the whole courtroom erupted in laughter, although the Judge was quick to call everyone to order.

"So, I guess the million dollar question would be, apart from a faked psychology report labelling him as having NPD, why would anyone think he is a narcissist, Doctor?" Faith enquired innocently, playing along with the pretence that this hadn't been carefully choreographed for the jury, right down to gestures and facial expressions.

"Well, as I understand it, Lieutenant Commander, he is an experienced undercover operative who is used to assuming and shedding personas more often than a cobra sheds his skin. We all do it to some extent, behaving differently at work to how we act with friends and our behaviour with family or life partners. A very simple example is that everyone has a business voice when they answer the telephone that is at least one quarter tone lower in pitch than our conversational voice. For someone like Anthony, who can fit into innumerable social settings and is used to watching his own back in an undercover situation, they often have difficulty trusting people and tend to hide their true personalities even more than the average person. He needs to hide his abilities more than most of us, which is pretty dang funny, since if he was a true narcissist, he would be throwing his various skills in people's faces looking for external validation from others, rather than hiding their existence."

Faith, looking innocent, asked, "So, acting cocky and obsessed with designer gear is an act, Dr. McStar?"

"Partially, although apparently the only time as a child he was given attention from his parents was when Anthony was dressed up and impressing their social contacts. His irritation or more obnoxious behaviours also serve much the same function as a porcupine's quills. You are so busy watching out for the prickly quills that you don't bother looking at what's underneath. It also means that Anthony is underestimated, which can be a useful tool in law enforcement and undercover work. But sometimes, Lieutenant Commander Coleman, a picture is worth a thousand words. I have an interrogation video which my colleagues have organised access to so you can see why Anthony likes to be underestimated and how dangerous it can be to take his buffoonery, and cocky superficiality at face value."

He paused for effect, "Like a cobra that lulls his prey into thinking he's harmless, he'll attack when their guard is down."


	17. Chapter 17

A/N Thanks once again to Arress for the Beta for this chapter and pointing out the omissions. All errors are mine.

Just a quick thank you again to everyone for their reviews, favs and everyone who is following the story. Know that I read all reviews and appreciate your support. This chapter is rather jargon heavy so I hope it is still comprehensible. Also someone asked if the last sentence of the previous chapter was mine or borrowed from somewhere. To the best of my knowledge, I came up with the line but since I'm a voracious reader, I can't unequivocally guarantee that I didn't read it somewhere at some point in time.

Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up?

Chapter 17

Previously

"…It also means that Anthony is underestimated which can be a useful tool in law enforcement and undercover work. But sometimes Lieutenant Commander Coleman, a picture is worth a thousand words. I have an interrogation video which my colleagues have organised access to so you can see why Anthony likes to be underestimated and how dangerous it can be to take his buffoonery and cocky superficiality at face value."

He paused for effect, "Like a cobra that lulls his prey into thinking he's harmless, he'll attack when they're guard is down."

And Now:

Gil nodded to Faith and she picked up a remote control and a television screen descended for the audience and jury to watch, and cued a DVD player to start. It revealed a scene where a suspect whose face had been pixilated to disguise his identity sat in NCIS Interrogation Room One and Lieutenant Commander Coleman informed the room that while they had disguised the voice and identity of the suspect to conceal his identity, he was deceased which was why they were using the footage. She also explained that they had put together and edited compilation of the three other members of the Major Case Response Team who had taken part in interrogating the suspect attempting to get him to confess to the killing of a Marine Sergeant First Class and three of his gang-banger colleagues and the former leader of the gang. At that point he had refused to acknowledge that he was the new leader, insisting that he was merely the trusty lieutenant and the leader had fled the country. The final part of the DVD is Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo using his unique methods of interrogating the suspect.

The somewhat grainy interrogation DVD began and a suspect sat opposite an older man with piercing eyes and an air of power and authority, who was using orthodox interrogation techniques and he suddenly exhibited aggression when the suspect made threats against two of his team members and named a location (which had been bleeped out) where the agents resided, suggesting they could be in danger. Then there was a petite dark-haired woman with an accent exuding a menacing aura, was interrogating next and when the suspect became verbally offensive to her, she responded by appearing to strike him in the genital region with her foot and he reacted negatively. Finally a young agent was up next, doing a bad imitation of Dirty Harry walking around cracking his knuckles in a caricature of a tough cop, trying his best to intimidate the suspect but failing to persuade him to talk either.

Then they saw Tony sitting opposite the suspect, but completely ignoring him. His energy and focus was absolutely centred on the game that he played on his cell phone, groaning in concentration while he held his tie in his teeth, feet resting casually on the table, definitely adding to the impression that he was not in any way a threat. It was accurate to say that he appeared to be something of a joke with his lackadaisical attitude, looking for all the world like he couldn't be bothered to do his job because he was lazy idiot or else was not intelligent enough to be trusted with interrogation. Yet for all his harmlessness, he also seemed to be getting under the skin of the suspect who had been getting off on being the centre of attention and obviously resented DiNozzo ignoring him.

Faith stopped the disc and Dr. McStar jumped in like a well-trained seal to offer commentary.

"The records for this case indicate as you have just seen, that several of his team mates had interrogated the suspect trying to get him to talk, using more orthodox means of interrogating the suspect, which ultimately proved ineffective. Special Agent DiNozzo realised that this individual was enjoying being in charge, hated being ignored and so he adopted a persona of dumb cop which fed into the suspect's superiority complex and reinforced the idea that he wasn't a threat. The result was it created tension and anxiety in the suspect as he wasn't receiving the reinforcement he needed. Ironically, although I can't say for sure, it appears that the gang-banger had narcissistic tendencies and found it intolerable to be ignored by the agent. By playing to his insecurities or strengths, depending upon how you look at it, Tony managed to find a way in where others had failed. "

Faith began the DVD once more as they watched the suspect as he finally engaged in conversation voluntarily, looking at DiNozzo with a mixture of condescension and annoyance.

"So like you don't got no questions for me?" the suspect asked.*

Tony while focusing on his game answered briefly. "That's a double negative.

The suspect clearly caught off guard by the rejoinder responded, "Huh?"

Thus asked, Tony unleashed a torrent of words all designed to further confuse and annoy his prey; all the while he continued to ignore him in favour of the far more interesting game.

"_Don't got no_ is a double negative. It's a non-standard use of two negative words in the same sentence. They cancel each other out and create a positive. Actually in Shakespeare's day, the double negative was used as an emphatic. But now it's just considered a mistake. Oh!" DiNozzo focused all his attention on the game before continuing his soliloquy on grammatical structure and effective communication.

"Don't know if that's what you intended. Pretty sure it's not. We'll just go with the colloquial idiomatic thing."

The special agent concentrated intently on the game on the phone and made it plain that the suspect wasn't interesting enough to hold his attention. Not enough to be angered by his threats or to want to get information out of him. He let the suspect know that his game was much more compelling by confiding conversationally, "This is hard."

Finally he continued to impart information regarding the suspect's grammar, "I'm pretty sure you meant: _Do I have any questions?_ And the answer to that question is: _I have no questions._ I do have some observations, though."

At this point the suspect held his head, clearly getting frustrated with the situation.

Tony proceeded with his observations. "Cesar. That's an interesting name. Obviously derived from Caesar. That was a powerful dude. My name is Anthony. Friends call me Tony. Which backward is 'why not.' Anyway, in the pecking order, I'm guessing that you're somewhere between the guy that goes out and buys the spray paint that you use for tagging and the guy who digs it out from under your boss' nails."

Once again Faith Coleman stopped the DVD and Dr. McStar jumped in to offer more commentary. "After confusing the suspect with a sophisticated discussion about double negatives which shows that Tony's able to think and act quickly, which is probably why he is able to work undercover so successfully, he left the suspect befuddled and off-balance. He then became more personal, beginning by making a connection, sharing almost friendly information before rapidly becoming insulting, doubting the suspect's relevance in the hierarchy of the gang. He effectively called into question, at least from the suspect's point of view, his manhood." The psychologist grimaced comically. "Not something the suspect appreciated.

"This was a highly effective means of provoking the suspect to strike out in anger. Up to this point, he had maintained that he was just the trusted lieutenant to the gang leader, even though he was suspected of usurping his predecessor and seizing control after killing him, but he denied it completely. Here he makes a fatal mistake due to underestimating his opponent." He nodded to the Lieutenant Commander and she started the DVD again.

The suspect banged the table and yelled in Spanish, before switching to English again, "You don't know who you're messing with. One word from me and my crew will have you splattered."

Tony pounced, "Your crew?"

The suspect full of a heady mixture of testosterone-induced aggression and bravado, responded without thinking. "Yes."

Tony smirked exultantly. "Well that's funny. I thought bleep was bleep bleep's crew. (Identifying features of the gang and the suspect had been removed to protect anonymity.)

The suspect looked pissed off and DiNozzo tapped on the glass of the observation mirror before offering the observation, "Interesting!"

Faith shut down the DVD and retracted the screen before addressing the witness. "Well that was definitely impressive and much more illuminating than a description. I see what you meant by him creating a persona where his opponents underestimate him and how that generates the potential for him to gain a very distinct advantage.

"Exactly, and as the DVD shows, he is a fair to middling lay psychologist with his ability to size up the people he comes into contact with and know what will make them talk when they have no intention of doing so. His method was highly effective and he made every move look utterly effortless. He might pay a huge personal cost by having everybody underestimate him, including his colleagues apparently, and think he is a clown who doesn't take his job seriously, but I have to say that watching him work is a real honour and a pleasure.

"Anyone can play the tough cop… well perhaps not everyone," he deadpanned in his Texas drawl, and herein the courtroom erupted into guffaws. "But from a psychological standpoint, aggression and threats are counterproductive. Force begets force in individuals prone to aggression, and in fearful or traumatised individuals, it may cause them to invent information during an interrogation or agree to facts that are incorrect to simply get away from the interrogator. Special Agent's DiNozzo's interrogation methods; however, do require much more finesse, but the information gained will be more reliable, and in suspects who don't respond to other techniques, it may be the only reliable method of gaining that information."

"I see, impressive Doctor! Finally, I understand that you administered one more personality test, is that correct?" Faith asked the psychologist.

Dr. McStar shook his head, "Not quite, Lieutenant Commander. I requested that my colleague, Dr. Susan Faber, NCIS Chief Psychologist, administer a personality inventory, which she did, called the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, which measures the traits of Carl Jung's personality theory of how individuals differ in the use of their perceptions and judgment, and it has two main goals. It identifies the basic preferences of an individual within the four constructs of personality identified by Jung and secondly, the identification and description of the combination of 16 distinct personality types that come about based on the interactions between the four preferences. But for the purposes of my testimony, I want to focus on the first aspect of the inventory, which examines how people perceive and act."

He smiled in his folksy, I'm just a simple guy like you style and continued. "We start with what is referred to as someone's Favourite World, since most of us favour either Introversion or Extroversion. Information processing is the second construct with individuals falling between the dichotomy of focusing on basic information that you perceive and the other extreme of wanting to complement the basic information and interpret it. Most people have a preference and the inventory calls this Sensing versus Intuition. Next trait measured is how someone makes decisions. If they would rather be logical and consistent which is referred to as Thinking or look at the people and circumstances first, and this is called Feeling, in relation to the MBTI. The final of the four dichotomies is referred to as Structure and how you deal with the external world. Would your preference be to have decisions well in place or to remain open to change based on new information and options? This is called Judging versus Perceiving and the preference and interaction of the four preferences will, according to Jung's personality theory, influence our character.

"While this instrument in no way measures narcissism I was interested to compare it to the Narcissistic Personality Inventory which you will recall that I stated was not diagnostic and which Tony scored overall lower than average but high on exhibitionism and vanity; therefore, I was curious about his scores on the dichotomy known as Favourite World. I wanted to know where he fell on the Introversion/Extroversion scale, and based on appearances one would expect him to score high on extroversion. Anthony is only very mildly biased to extraversion and surprisingly shows an almost equal preference to his internal world. That suggests that he expends a lot of energy on introspection, which gels with the observations of others that he has an unfortunate tendency to internalise blame for things that are beyond his control, possibly because he has such unrealistic expectations of himself that it would be impossible to achieve."

"So, how does this pan out with regard to the concept of narcissism, Dr. McStar?" Faith prodded gently, having had little to do during his explanation of the MBTI.

"I'm so glad you asked me that, Ma'am." He responded quaintly, which elicited a round of chuckles from the star-struck audience. "Narcissists tend to lack insight into their behaviour, but they are also inclined to attribute blame for their mistakes or misfortune to outside agents or circumstances. They don't usually blame themselves because that would, to their way of thinking, be an acknowledgement that they are less than perfect. To do so would create intolerable internal conflict and tension that they cannot cope with. For Anthony though, he seems far too ready to accept blame for other people's FUBARs."

At which point the courtroom once again erupted in raucous laughter at the celebrity shrink's use of military slang. The consequence of which was that the judge threatening to eject the crowd in the public seating while Howard Jefferies objected to the lack of appropriate decorum by the public, with a sour expression. Tony took some perverse pleasure from the attorney's discomfiture and he smirked at Cassie who grinned right back at him.

"So in summary Dr. McStar, you would say that Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo does not have Narcissistic Personality Disorder that would make him feel pressured to fabricate evidence to gain attention? Would that be a fair statement or am I leading the witness?" Faith asked, leading her witness, but knowing that he was quite capable of expressing himself adequately.

"Maybe so, Ma'am," the shrink conceded cheerfully, "but it is a fair summation of my testimony and the conclusions that I have drawn based on psychological interviews, psychometric tests, and medical, psychological, and personnel records. It is my professional opinion that the Special Agent does not meet the diagnostic criteria that would support the diagnosis of Narcissistic Personality Disorder."

"Thank you, Dr. McStar, JAG appreciates your continued support of the Armed Services by agreeing to appear as an expert witness for the prosecution today. I have no further questions for this witness." Faith flashed him a huge smile before turning and striding back to the table and sitting down confidently.

As she pulled out her chair she also smiled encouragingly to Cassie and Tony, who was sitting trying not to seem tense and uncomfortable, even though he longed to just take off and never come back. As his eyes wandered around the courtroom, Tony noticed a suit that had been in the public gallery off and on since Jefferies unleashed this crap, and sitting beside him just now was a stunning, statuesque creature with tawny blonde curls that cascaded riotously down her back. Tony noted that she was clad in a classy Chanel suit, and he wondered when she had come in, if she was with the suit, and if so, why they were here, since they didn't exactly look like rubberneckers. Perhaps they were lawyers trying to head-hunt Jefferies and watch him in action, since Faith was of the opinion that he was throwing everything at this case in the event that it was his last high profile defence before he left JAG. The woman sure dressed like a high profile lawyer.

Cassie squeezed his hand comfortingly, as the hated Jefferies stood up to try to demolish the expert witness' testimony, who had, combined with Capt. Grace Wong's evidence concerning the faked psychological report in his Police File, had put paid to the defense's claims that Tony had NPD. The psychologist had so far kept his promise to skate over Tony's unpleasant childhood, but he couldn't control the direction of the cross examination. While he was experienced enough not to let on to any casual observers, Tony was sick with anxiety that his skeletons were about to be revealed to all and sundry and that people would look upon him with pity. While Dr. McStar was a pro and he would do his best, Jefferies had shown that he was willing to go straight for the jugular without compunction.

~ Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up ~

The defence lawyer stood up and gave an obsequiously oily grin and introduced himself to the celebrity psychologist, who responded gravely. Howard shuffled his papers and indicated that he had just a few questions. "The diagnosis of mental disorders, and especially personality disorders, are problematic to diagnose, would you agree?" he began.

"Not really, the diagnosis is based on exhaustive empirical research and clinical data and increasingly, biometric measures that allow us to arrive at definite diagnoses of mental disorders and psychological conditions." McStar countered, calmly.

"But it doesn't have the same 'hard diagnostic' validity and reproducibility of diagnostic medical tests, though?" he pressed the witness.

The doctor paused to consider his answer. "No. Granted, it isn't like an x-ray or blood test, but increasingly we are finding a neurological basis for anomalous behaviour and are able to use biometric means of diagnosing atypical behaviours. Meanwhile, the use of structured interviews, diagnostic criteria based upon the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV and a variety of brain imaging and medical tests that can rule out other organic diseases, remain the cornerstone, along with clinicians with the training and experience to diagnose psychological conditions." Gil McStar stated, calmly and judiciously.

Jefferies made a show of considering the response before asking, "But it is possible to make a wrong diagnosis, with all due respect to you, Doctor?"

The celebrity witness appeared to mull over his response before grinning infectiously, his moustache crinkling as he tried not to laugh. "Do I have loser tattooed over my forehead, Lieutenant Commander Jefferies?" Cheers and chuckles broke out in the peanut gallery and the jury appeared to be trying hard to restrain their giggles. "This ain't my first rodeo, ya know, so I would never say never. There is nothing in this world that is one hundred percent guaranteed, so I won't say that incorrect diagnoses don't occur because they do, just like medical misdiagnoses happen, and that is very unfortunate, but it is rare."

"So, it is possible that Special Agent DiNozzo does have Narcissistic Personality Disorder and you have made an incorrect diagnosis?" Jefferies pushed.

"Possible, but highly improbable," he stated authoritatively sticking to a short sharp response, knowing that his credibility and certainty would give him the points.

Jefferies let that lie and returned to his desk and make a show of consulting his notes. "Am I correct in the statement that narcissistic behaviour can be traced back to childhood abuse, Doctor?"

"Not entirely, Lieutenant Commander. Studies have found a correlation to childhood abuse and neglect in some cases, but childhood abuse cannot be said to have been demonstrated as a causal link. The fact remains that children who experience abuse and neglect, whether it be physical, emotional, or sexual, are much more at risk for a raft of psychological and emotional consequences, and I wouldn't be immediately concerned that narcissism would be a development. Eating disorders and self-harm behaviours, such as cutting and self-medicating, are a much more frequent sequelae." He looked resigned as did Tony who knew as well as Gil where this was heading and he was as taut as a spring.

"But it is true that Special Agent DiNozzo was the victim of an abusive childhood, though? Which would place him at greater risk of developing the personality disorder, surely Doctor?"

"Statistically speaking, the correlation isn't what we would consider to be terribly significantly. I don't believe his experience of being brought up by two alcoholic parents has resulted in him developing NDP. If he has suffered any consequences, it would be that numerous psychologists have observed that he tends to display a tendency towards co-dependence where he feels like it is his responsibility to take care of and be responsibility for those around him." He flashed an apologetic look at where Tony was seated, knowing that this was his worst nightmare.

He acknowledged Gil's contrition with a wry face and plastered on what McStar decided was one of his patented fake smiles. Reading between the lines of his far too frequent Psych Evals, following various traumas, injuries on the job, and wrongful shoot investigations, and how adept he was at telling his assessors what he had learnt they were looking for, he had the feeling that _fake it til you make it _was a concept the agent was very familiar with. Gil suspected that he had learnt the skill in his childhood, since he had managed to go through so many Psych Evals revealing hardly any personal information. Much of the observational data of the psychologists were based on second hand information provided by others at team debriefs and weren't confirmed or denied by the special agent. He was quite the psychological enigma.

Gil was surprised that the defence didn't seem want to flog a dead horse with this. Yes, he had raised the issue, but he had backed off pretty quickly and didn't try and drag out more personal and damaging personal information, but Howard Jefferies nodded and informed the judge that he had no further questions for the witness. Gil's gut was telling him that the attorney shouldn't give up that easily so he had to have something else up his sleeve. Gil winked at Faith, knowing that she would redirect since they had anticipated this scenario and had strategized how to counter the revelations of childhood abuse or neglect that was endemic with caregivers with drug and alcohol dependency issues. His gut told him that while it hadn't been all that damaging, it was better to counter it if possible, so they would.

Faith popped up, "Redirect for this witness, your honour."

Approaching the screen and beaming, she asked, "Co-dependency is frequently found in people that live with alcoholics and drug addicts, is that a fair statement?"

"Yes, that would be accurate, but while it isn't clear with spouses and partners whether the co-dependency is created or they are simply attracted to addicts as partners, children whose parents are addicts appear to be created since they have no power over their living situations and end up adopting a care giving role, often acting as the parents in the relationship dynamic." He explained.

"Yes, I can see how that might occur and I'm sorry if I sound dense, but I don't see why observations of co-dependency behaviour would affect the diagnosis of narcissism?" Faith asked, following their agreed upon script.

"You aren't dense, but it is because narcissists frequently attract people to them who are co-dependent, to bolster and support their constant need to be noticed. The narcissist needs to be noticed and worshiped, or hated even, and the co-dependent needs to be needed and to take care of others. They are incompatible conditions and you don't find someone with co-dependency issues who is narcissistic." Gill explained, knowing that Anthony wasn't going to be thrilled at being labelled with co-dependency issues, but it was preferable to the alternative.

"So, apart from some observations by psychologists during compulsory psychological evaluations, is there anything that makes you believe that Special Agent DiNozzo is more predisposed to co-dependency than narcissism?" the JAG lawyer quizzed him innocently.

Gil wondered if the jury realised this was all a set-up. He smiled charismatically as he answered, "Yes, Ma'am, I happened to notice something in his personnel file. He led the team for four months when the team lead retired, and when his former team leader decided to return to work, the then Director Shepard offered him own team in Rota, Spain. It is my understanding that it is considered a plumb assignment with potential to fast track an agent's career, not to mention the locale being highly desirable. Anthony apparently turned it down because his team leader, who had retired with a head injury and retrograde amnesia, came back and wanted his job back again, and Anthony had observed that he still had lapses in memory. So, he decided to turn down the promotion because he was concerned about the welfare of his mentor and the agents that had been his responsibility for four months, despite being told that he may not be offered another promotion for some time.

"That was the behaviour of someone who felt that even though he was no longer the leader of the team, that he was responsible for their well-being. A narcissist would have accepted the job and never even thought about their team mates' welfare. The lure of being in charge would have been impossible to resist, as would the prestige garnered from that particular assignment. Even the grade he ascribed to his leadership for the duration as the team lead of the Major Case Response Team, showed humility and honest self-appraisal lacking in someone with NPD. He rated himself as a B-plus and the Director gave him an A minus, which in my opinion doesn't suggest a narcissist by any stretch of the imagination."

Gil was pretty sure that the jury had been convinced that Tony was not a narcissist who was desperate for validation, and felt satisfaction. Hopefully, he was wrong about Jefferies and he didn't have some other ambush planned, but he totally doubted the shyster would give up that easily. He hoped he was mistaken, though, because he rather liked the agent based upon their limited time together.

* The dialogue that appeared in the interrogation scene is taken directly from the episode _Iced_. The observations that accompany the dialogue are mine though.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N Thanks once again to Arress for the Beta for this chapter and pointing out the omissions. All errors are mine.

Just a quick thank you again to everyone for their reviews, favs and everyone who is following the story. Know that I read all reviews and appreciate your support. We are coming to the conclusion of this story with just a few chapters to go. I have a sequel planned and partly written that is set one year after the conclusion of the trial and examines the consequences for the team. I did consider continuing this story but the tone and style of the sequel changes from serious to slightly tongue in cheek and obviously is far more AU and for those reasons I opted for a sequel. I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

~ Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up ~

Chapter 18

"The Court calls Assistant Director Thomas Morrow to the stand."

Tony realised Faith was going to be discussing his record at NCIS and relaxed. Of all three Directors that he'd worked under, Tom was the one he trusted the most and so it seemed fitting that Faith had chosen him instead of Vance to be a character reference. Vance hated him before this fiasco and Tony would bet a month's pay that this hadn't helped. He wasn't sure what the current Director's problem was, if it was an inverted form of snobbery since he obviously thought Tony had had a privileged childhood and maybe he resented him for it. That or if it was to do with intellectual pomposity, where he thought he was better than Tony because he didn't have degrees in computer science. Either way, it wasn't going to matter for very much longer.

The former Director of NCIS was called into the courtroom and as he passed Tony he gave him a friendly smile and sat down, calm and collected. Meanwhile the anticipation from the assembled audience, ratcheted up as people awaited the up-coming testimony. An Assistant Director of Homeland Security didn't usually appear as a character reference for a former colleague who was just a field agent, so this was almost as big as the Dr. McStar testimony.

Not surprisingly, Morrow began by speaking about his commendation filled record at NCIS, his talent in undercover work and his keen investigative skills. He talked about how Tony had led the MCRT for four months and been offered his own team in Rota, Spain which was considered to be a fast track to promotion all because of his outstanding work as lead investigator in Gibbs' absence. He listed some of his specific commendations and Tony found himself tuning out, since listening to all this stuff was embarrassing, but also it was a reminder that it was all going to be for naught. No more investigating murders and putting dirtbags away. It wasn't til Cassie gave him a gentle nudge to the shoulder that he tuned back in.

"…he drove his new colleagues to distraction when he first arrived with his insistence on making sure that paperwork was one hundred and ten per cent completed and correct. Special Agent DiNozzo was also a stickler for following procedure in gathering evidence and questioning witnesses and suspects and many of his new colleagues used to get frustrated with his insistence of doing everything by the book. Lots of them just thought he was trying to score brownie points when he first came to justify being hired. Yet Tony had the same obsession for following correct procedures for the four years that I was Director at NCIS," He drew a breath and Faith smiled encouragingly. He was doing great and had the jury engaged.

He smiled perceptively in response and continued, "I soon came to realise why he was such a stickler for following correct procedure. We shared a coffee in the bull pen and he explained that as a beat cop, he saw far too many criminals let off at arraignment or trial on technicalities. That was when I realised that in his short career as a beat cop and then a detective, he had seen far more cases than most NCIS Special Agents would see ever in their whole careers."

"So, Assistant Director Morrow, you don't believe he would plant evidence to procure a conviction?"

"Absolutely not! He would never plant evidence in a case because it would threaten the integrity of the case. He reported a forensic scientist once when he was a Baltimore detective because forensic evidence was mishandled and the suspect get off on a technicality. Furthermore, Special Agent DiNozzo wouldn't need to plant evidence since he is one of the best investigators I've ever seen. There would be no need for him to stoop to those lengths and he is far too principled."

Tony was surprised, he hadn't ever realised he'd annoyed his new colleagues with his need to cross all the Ts and dot the Is. Oh, he knew he rubbed a lot of them up the wrong way when he'd arrived, but figured it was that long running demarcation dispute between cops and feds. Yet honestly, some of the agents he met went to court to give evidence so rarely, it was practically a novelty instead of the routine occurrence that cops endure as a necessary evil to put criminals behind bars where they belonged.

"So, Assistant Director Morrow, I'd like to ask you about those head slaps." Tom Morrow chuckled somewhat uncomfortably, "Would I be right in stating that Special Agent DiNozzo's superior is the only team leader that is permitted to use this rather archaic form of team management?"

"Well, I can only speak to my time as Director of NCIS, not what goes on a day to day basis, Lieutenant Commander Coleman. And that would be no, during my tenure there was a another agent who was also a Marine before becoming a federal agent of NCIS' predecessor Naval Investigative Service or NIS who used to head slap his team of which Special Agent Gibbs was his protégé."

"So to be clear, it was not an approved method of managing teams at NCIS during your tenure?

"That is correct, Lieutenant Commander."

"So why was Special Agent Gibbs allowed to use them then?" Faith probed.

"That isn't such a simple question to answer. Special Agent Gibbs is a dinosaur, doesn't play well with technology, other agencies and agents in general and is a loner in a job that requires him to play nicely with others. He also has the best solve rate of any agent at the agency, is a force to be reckoned with and doesn't do well with being given a lot of limitations and constraints by administrators and has a low frustration threshold. Allowing him his little quirks was something of a trade off because I'm not sure that he would be able to operate without them, unfortunately."

"Did you ever attempt to ban them?" Faith quizzed the former Director.

"No, frankly with Gibbs early on, I learned to pick my battles and the head slaps seemed to be a minor battle that I deemed not worth of the potential blow back."

"I appreciate your dilemma, Assistant Director, but if I could be so bold to suggest that you weren't the one on the receiving end of them. Did his agents like getting head slapped in your opinion?"

"No, probably not, Lieutenant Commander, but then again, Gibbs is not an easy man to work for, even without taking into account his Gibbs' slaps. Many agents would request transfers or he would transfer them off the team, so when I found an agent that he would work with and who had the nous to work with him, I tried not to rock the boat."

"What about Special Agent DiNozzo, what was his reaction to being … um sorry what did you call it? Gibbs' slapped was it?" she looked at him and he nodded, "Did he ever object?"

"I believe that initially he was less than impressed and warned Gibbs not to do it, but he grew to accept it over time."

"Basically, unless he requested a transfer he didn't have a whole lot of choice, did he?"

"No, not really.

"So, can you tell us, Assistant Director Morrow, what was the rationale of Gibbs head slapping his agents?

"Gibbs said that it was a tool to help them to focus when they got off track during an investigation..."

"So, it wasn't a disciplinary measure then?

"Not according to Gibbs, but I wasn't so sure. Tony was possibly almost as driven by cases as Gibbs, so I'm not convinced that he needed to be more focused."

"Gibbs and DiNozzo worked as a team for just over a year, is that correct?"

"Yes, and had the best closure rate in the agency," Tom Morrow stated proudly.

"When they took on another team member and then a young probationary agent, did their closure rate improve again with the extra agents?" The JAG lawyer asked her witness.

Tom shook his head, "No, but then, they also needed to train the new agents."

She nodded, pausing as if to consider her next question, but in reality to let the jury process the information before moving on. "Let's talk about when Special Agent Gibbs was injured in an explosion and temporarily retired and DiNozzo stepped in to lead the Major Case Response Team. You have studied the Agency statistics and his personnel file in preparation for your testimony today. You are testifying because the current Director of NCIS has only been in the job for a few months and doesn't really know Special Agent DiNozzo and the previous Director, Jenny Shepard, was tragically killed in a fire earlier this year. So, based on the records, did DiNozzo do an adequate job leading the team in Gibbs' absence?"

"Based on the closure rate, which didn't drop with Gibbs' departure, he did more than an adequate job. He did an outstanding job, especially considering that he also had to train a brand new probationary field agent and train a new senior field agent and learn the new responsibilities as team lead. Based upon the appraisals of Director Shepard, he did an outstanding job leading the MCRT." The Homeland Security Assistant Director stated with a proprietary gleam in his eyes.

"That wasn't all though was it, Assistant Director? He was also engaged in a long term undercover operation for the then Director Shepard?"

"Yes, that is correct," he indicated.

"And at this time, Special Agent DiNozzo was presumably functioning without benefit of Gibbs' head slaps and yet he must have been focused to achieve all of that in Gibbs' absence. And yet when Gibbs returned, he suddenly lost focus and needed his team lead to head slap him so he could concentrate again?" Faith asked incredulously.

"It would seemed very unlikely, Morrow conceded.

"Tell me, Assistant Director, this isn't the first time you've acquainted yourself with Special Agent DiNozzo's personnel record during that period, is it?"

"No, Lieutenant Commander, I was watching his performance when he took over the team and when Gibbs returned again, I offered Tony a job at Homeland Security."

"Can I infer from that offer that you were not concerned about his ability to focus on the job without the benefit of Gibbs' head slaps?"

"I think that would be a fair assessment," he agreed. "As I said earlier, Tony had been a driven individual when I had first hired him. His closure rate as a detective was exceptional, as was the fact that he was one of the youngest detectives to ever receive a gold shield, so I wasn't concerned about his ability to focus. I think that Tony's method of focusing is incompatible with Gibbs' serial processing of information, and he can mistake Tony's method of distraction or sensory flooding to help him organise and order information as a lack of concentration, especially when he is stressed. Tony's favourite truism is _to work_ _smarter not_ _harder _and I guess the truth of that was his sojourn as the team to mention when Gibbs came back, Tony managed to do his former job and still manage to work a long term undercover position concurrently."

"I see, well, that's very impressive, as you say. I would like to thank you, Assistant Director, for making yourself available today. I know you have many obligations upon your time." She smiled at Tom appreciatively.

Faith turned to the judge, indicated that she had no more questions for the witness and returned to her seat.

Howard Jefferies smiled encouragingly at his client, Rixon Wells, and bounced up, out of his seat.

"As Lieutenant Commander Coleman has stated, you are a very busy man, Assistant Director, but I only have a couple of questions for you." He smiled deferentially. "What was Special Agent Gibbs' explanation for using head slaps as a management tool?"

Morrow frowned in concentration as he thought about the question. "He always told me that a slap to the face was humiliating, but a slap to the back of the head helped focus."

"But you have indicated that you weren't convinced that was the aim of head slapping his team?" Howard pressed the witness.

"No, not exactly. I believe that Special Agent Gibbs believes that they help his team focus, but that doesn't mean I agree that they do or that even if they do need to focus, that head slapping is an effective tool. Gibbs, on the other hand, believes that it works for him and you can't argue that they have a much envied closure rate," Morrow stated, carefully.

"So, when you were NCIS Director and had the opportunity to see it in operation, would you agree that Special Agent DiNozzo was the primary source of needing to focus?" the defence lawyer probed.

"Well, that isn't really a fair question, Lieutenant Commander, if you take into account that for a year, he was the only other member of Gibbs' team and, in addition, that Gibbs rarely head slaps female agents, so of course he would receive the most Gibbs' slaps," Morrow responded watchfully.

"If we were to compare the amount of head slaps in 2003 when Gibbs had three agents on his team and one of them was a male probationary agent, did he receive the majority of head slaps during that period?"

Morrow sighed. "Yes, but…"

"Thank you, Assistant Director. I have no further questions." Howard Jefferies smiled triumphantly and returned to his seat.

Faith leapt to her feet. "Redirect for this witness, your honour. Assistant Director, would you please tell the court what you were about to say?"

Tom smiled at the JAG lawyer. "I was going to say that Tony would often put himself in the path of a head slap so that his team mates were spared, especially when it was a green probationary agent. He was used to standing up to the team lead since it was a part of the job description to play devil's advocate. So, of course, he irritated Gibbs proportionally more than the junior agents."

Faith considered this information. "So, head slaps weren't necessarily just used to help an agent focus then, Assistant Director Morrow?"

"Yes, I suppose that is true," he conceded reluctantly.

Faith sympathised since she had been walking a fine line between making sure that Tony's reputation wasn't trashed, but since Gibbs was also a witness she didn't want the jury to hate him either. Still, they could also draw conclusions, so she didn't have much choice but to acknowledge it and move on.

"Thank you, Assistant Director Morrow, I have no further questions."

Tony looked at Howard who was nodding at his client and didn't seem disturbed by the redirect. In fact, he looked rather pleased with himself and Tony was more convinced that he had something up his sleeve. Either that or he was a damned good actor.

The judge glanced at the clock and announced that they would adjourn for the day and dismissed the jury with the normal admonishments before departing himself.

Tom Morrow left the witness stand and gravitated toward Tony and Cassie who were talking to Faith. She was expressing her satisfaction with how the day had progressed and felt that she had pretty much crushed Howard's argument that head slaps proved Tony was incompetent and also refuted his case that Tony had NPD.

Tony was not so optimistic and expressed those reservations. "Maybe, Faith, but he's got something left up his sleeve. He's way too pleased with himself."

Tom laid his hand on Tony's shoulder and said, "Can we go somewhere and grab a coffee, Tony?"

Tony pulled a wry face and looked Morrow in the eyes. "You don't need to buy a coffee, Sir, to tell me that the job offer is withdrawn. I already know that, and don't worry, there are no hard feelings. Thanks for agreeing to testify today, I do appreciate it."

Tom grimaced and acknowledged what Tony had said. "That wasn't the only thing that I needed to talk to you about, but I prefer to do it somewhere more private. Can we grab a coffee from the cart, my shout, and take a stroll?"

Tony shrugged and thanked Cassie for her support and told her he would speak to her later. Tom smiled and told her it was lovely to see her again and thanked her for being there for Tony.

"Chris would be very proud of the agent you have become, Special Agent Yates. Come and see me if you ever decide to leave NCIS and we'll talk, " he promised shaking her hand and Faith's hand, too, before steering Tony out of the courtroom and down to the coffee cart in the foyer of the building. Once they had topped up on their caffeine choices, he led the way outside as the lengthening shadows indicated that sunset was not too far away.

Morrow plunged in without preamble, "I just wanted to let you know that I've had some enquiries about you from a group that will no doubt be making you a job offer in due course." He saw Tony's expression and put out his hand to prevent Tony responding. "Wait a minute and hear me out first. I know that you are chary of undercover work and counter-intelligence, especially after your experiences in the last couple of years and your faith in your superiors is non-existent. I can't say as I blame you, but I do think that you should give this group a chance to make a case before you say no to them. I really think that this gig might be right up your alley. So, promise me that you won't say no til you've had a chance to think about it?"

Tony shrugged. "Okay, Sir, you always did right by me so it's the least I can do I suppose. As long as I'm not committed or anything; it sounds like you know these people and what they want me for?"

Tom nodded. "I've had some dealings with them professionally, but I also know one of the principles from back in my field days. He is a good guy or I wouldn't be pushing you to listen to the job description. I know how much you enjoy investigations, but I think this will utilise you talents as well."

"Fornell gave me a heads up about a mob that was asking around about me, especially my undercover work. I take it that it's one and the same group?" Tom nodded. "Just as long as they aren't from the CIA; I refuse to work for an agency that employs that weasel, Trent Kort."

Tom chuckled. "Fair enough, too. That mustang was one sweet ride and blowing her up was a damn crime, apart from which, you were incredibly lucky that you weren't in it. And, yes, I doubt that there are two shadowy organisations asking about you, not that you don't warrant the interest, mind."

"So, how did they find out about me? It's not like NCIS plays with the big boys, I'm not exactly a big shot and I haven't resigned …yet. In fact, I'm trying to keep a low profile to keep up the façade that everything is hunky-dory between me and the rest of the team," Tony admitted. "At least until the trial is over, anyway."

"Probably Susan Faber, she's been reaching out to her contacts, trying to get you a management position, and while I think that you might get some offers for a desk job, I know that you aren't ready to take a management job now. It seems that your chief psychologist is your biggest fan. I didn't know you were so chummy with the shrinks?"

Tony shrugged. "I've never met her til now. She's always sicked her minions onto me for Psych Evals."

"So, how'd you get on her good side, then?" he asked curiously.

"I bought her a marinara pizza… and, umm, I smiled."

"Ah, that would explain it." he grinned.

~ Betrayals ~

Gibbs sat in the witness box, his back ramrod straight and his features stony. He wasn't a fan of lawyers in general and testifying in court was something he didn't enjoyed overmuch, yet it was a necessary evil. He had no patience with the endless posturing and maneuvering and the endless adherence to archaic rules and technicalities. He felt like a fish out of water and didn't like having to participate in the whole circus that was the legal system which he thought was an ass. Of course, having been screwed comprehensively by three ex-wives and their respective divorce attorneys hadn't exactly fostered warm and fuzzy feelings, either.

However, like everything that he did, Gibbs attacked the situation head on and strived to dominate the proceedings by the force of his strong will alone. Yet, today was different, since the barely competent Faith Coleman was going to make him eat crow after he'd presented his evidence into the case and the Wells interrogation which he had conducted. Even though the pond sucking scumbag drug dealer had crumbled like a baby and made a full confession when he'd interrogated him, as if it wasn't a foregone conclusion and it was on tape, the bastard had gone and recanted the confession, which while it was SOP for crims like Wells, was still incredibly infuriating.

So, having to admit he had committed an error in taking that damned 'unofficial record' of DiNozzo's that he'd somewhat dubiously acquired from Philadelphia PD through his contacts at face value and not following rule #8 _Never assume – double check,_ and expecting him to do so in front of a bunch of gawking fools, was simply more than he could stomach. Moreover, Coleman was expecting him to perform like a trained seal and cry crocodile tears over it. Like it really mattered, apart from DiNozzo getting his nose out of joint over it. As far as Gibbs was concerned, the lawyers, as per normal, were simply making a mountain out of an ant hill, as Ziva would say.

Coleman had been drilling him for hours last night on witness prep and he was pissed that she wanted him to follow her script about how he regretted joking with the team about DiNozzo being a narcissist. Since he didn't believe in having regrets, with perhaps one massive one nearly twenty years ago, and he flat out refused to apologise for anything he did, it had been a fiery meeting between agent and attorney. It was only Faith's repeated insistence that if he didn't stick to the party line and recant his assertions about DiNozzo, that it could easily cost them the case and they would be letting a murderer walk, which was clearly unacceptable. So, they had finally agreed upon a script that skirting the boundaries of what he would be able to say, taking into account his rules and what was needed to get the job done.

That being the case, the veteran NCIS agent was in a truly foul mood this morning and perhaps the fact that he'd spent the better part of the night before down in his basement brooding and drinking bourbon, hadn't exactly been terribly smart either. Unfortunately, Gibbs was finding it difficult to deal with the contempt that he and the team were copping from colleagues in general, but specifically from Balboa, who he'd thought of as, if not a buddy, then one of the few individuals he respected, and had always thought that it had been mutual. Yet, the palpable scorn that Balboa made no attempt to hide; was getting under Gibbs' skin and pissing him off, even if he'd always got off on being considered a bastard by his workmates. But now as an object of derision, he was finding it very unpalatable.

As he sat waiting for Coleman to begin her questioning, he stole a glance at DiNozzo and his entourage of groupies sitting in the front row. He'd heard how Palmer, Balboa, Yates and Jardine had been coming with him to the hearings to 'support him' each day, like he needed his hand held, although he was probably enjoying the attention, and honestly, he looked perfectly fine, joking and laughing with the 'Tony-ettes', which was in marked contrast to how he was treating his team members. He couldn't believe that his senior field agent was acting so damned precious, since he made jokes all the time. Hell, he even called Gibbs a functional mute and old, and he didn't sulk or go ballistic, either.

Looking at Tony, he realised that the agent that he had prided himself on training and being able to read like a book, had an impenetrable mask in place and he could no longer tell what he was thinking or feeling. Sighing as Faith rose and approached the witness box, he focused back on the task at hand and decided that maybe he would enlist Abby in a scheme to disappear the bottom feeding bloodsuckers, especially the smarmy Jefferies. It soothed him just a little to imagine the creative ways the Goth might use make him go away, just as long as it wasn't too quick and painless, of course.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N Thanks once again to Arress for the Beta for this chapter, not to mention her encouragement and her valuable input into the story from go to wo. All errors are mine.

Just a quick thank you again to everyone for their reviews, favs and everyone who is following the story. Know that I read all reviews and appreciate your support. We are coming to the conclusion of this story with one more chapter after this one which is quite long I'm afraid. I have a sequel planned and partly written that is set one year after the conclusion of the trial and examines the consequences for the team. I did consider continuing this story but the tone and style of the sequel changes from serious to slightly tongue in cheek and obviously is far more AU and for those reasons I opted for a sequel.

Just to answer a couple of queries, the definition of the word nous as used in the context of the last chapter is essentially common sense. The second question has to do with how Tony was going to come out of this situation and whether he was going to become a bitter and angry individual? I just wanted to assure that reader that while Tony may be a little less trusting, a little bit more cynical and generally a bit shop soiled, he will be essentially the same flawed yet brilliant and vulnerable Tony that we all know and love. And I really think you'll be pleasantly surprised about what fate has in store for him. And on to this chapter that many of you have been waiting so patiently for Hopefully it was worth the wait!

~ Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up ~

Chapter 20

Tony sat in the dark as melancholy blues poured out of his speakers as he was caught up in the scene that had unfolded a few hours earlier as the verdict was read out. After almost eight days of testimony, the jury had required only three hours deliberation before returning a verdict of not guilty and he couldn't get the images of betrayal, resignation and anger which James and Verity Weber had worn, out of his head. Faith had also been devastated that she had so badly underestimated the deviousness of Lieutenant Commander Jefferies and his determination to finish his less than sterling JAG career on a high. They had all underestimated the bastard when it came down to it, never suspecting how down and dirty he had been prepared to get in the name of succeeding at any cost. Oh sure, he and the celebrity shrink had both expressed the belief that the shyster had something sneaky up his sleeve, but they had never envisaged what the 'something sneaky' was.

All the time they thought he was gunning for Tony, he had only ever been plan B, a strategy that although it might pay off, Jefferies was using to muddy the waters and keep them from focusing on the real game. Tony was the Red Herring, the one they were all supposed to focus on while all the while, Howard Jefferies had bigger fish to fry, and that really, really pissed Tony off. His reputation had been trashed simply as a diversion to the real strategy, and the fact that he wouldn't have a career as a cop or field agent simply didn't matter a fig to that bastard Jefferies, and how damn cold was that?

It had all started off with Gibbs, surprisingly enough, sticking to the script and playing by the rules, albeit with bad grace. Everyone who was anyone that knew the cantankerous Leroy Jethro Gibbs knew that he was going to be Hell to be around for weeks afterwards, but no one saw the iceberg that was Plan A. Then when they finally realised that there was a real threat, no one could have predicted how quickly the ship was going to start taking on water, once Jefferies started firing across the bow.

~ Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up ~

_Flashback two days ago: Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs' testimony_

… "So, when presented with the evidence that we had collected at his apartment, along with forensic evidence that linked him to the drugs responsible for Petty Officer Weber's overdose plus witness statements from other clients, Wells confessed he sold the drugs that resulted in the death of Petty Officer Weber."

Faith nodded, "What made him confess, do you think, Special Agent Gibbs?"

"The overwhelming evidence, undoubtedly. That and the fact that I pointed out that confessing his guilt and throwing himself on the mercy of the justice system could result in a lesser penalty than not taking responsibility for his actions." Gibbs responded confidently and clearly and Faith's eyes signalled her approval.

"You didn't think at any point during the interrogation, you should organise for him to receive legal counsel?" she asked, knowing if she didn't ask him, Howard would.

Gibbs shook his head, but knowing the score, delivered the verbal response they had planned. "Lieutenant Rixon Wells was advised of his Article 31 Rights before I began the interrogation and he didn't ask for legal representation. It wasn't until we formally charged him that legal representation was organised, per procedure, and he was appointed a JAG advocate to see to his defence."

Faith waited for a long pause before asking the question that was the elephant in the room. "You are no doubt aware that Lieutenant Wells has since recanted his verbal and written confession. Further, that he is claiming that you used threats and intimidation to force him to make a false confession, Special Agent Gibbs."

"Yes."

"And your response to that would be?" she asked bluntly.

"That he's is lying. It is a common ploy for an alleged criminal to recant a confession and plead intimidation. It happens so often that it's expected. We are more surprised if we don't get someone claiming we forced a confession out of them. It's just a part of the game, Lieutenant Commander."

"So, at no time did you threaten him if he didn't confess?" Faith clarified.

Gibbs shrugged. "There was no need to threaten him. We had a solid case built against him and I told him that our evidence was unequivocal. He knew he'd been caught and he accepted it."

The JAG lawyer nodded in understanding. "Okay, thank you for clearing that up. Let's turn to the situation regarding the claims that defence has made regarding the claims that Special Agent DiNozzo planted the evidence found at Lieutenant Wells' apartment during a search for evidence. The defence has claimed during this trial that he has Narcissistic Personality Disorder and is incompetent and planted the financial records in order to gain your approval and attention. As Agent DiNozzo's supervisor, how would you respond to the claims by the defence about him planting the evidence?"

Gibbs scowled at Jefferies and his client before directing his attention back to Faith. "That's a bunch of BS. My team knows that I won't tolerate that sort of behaviour. I have the highest closeout rate in the Agency because my standards are second to none. If I thought for one second that one of my agents wasn't pulling their weight or they were planting evidence, they would be off my team so fast that they would have whiplash. The idea's ridiculous."

"But until a few days ago, you believed that Anthony DiNozzo was suffering from Narcissistic Personality Disorder, isn't that the case?" she probed with quiet insistence.

Gibbs nodded reluctantly as he glanced across at his Senior Field Agent. "Yes."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because it was in his personnel file when I hired him and because he likes attention," He admitted grudgingly.

"I don't think I understand, Special Agent Gibbs. I have Anthony DiNozzo's personnel file. In fact, I've gone over it exhaustively, and there was no mention in his Psychological Evaluations to indicate he has any personality disorder, let alone NPD," Faith objected.

"Not his official NCIS personnel file that includes his records from his time as a police officer and then a detective, no. I… ah, had my sources acquire his unofficial police file when I first met him and worked a joint investigation in Baltimore where he was a detective. It was in his record from the Philadelphia Police Department. There was a psychological report," he shrugged. "I had no reason to believe that it was fake."

"Okay, Special Agent Gibbs, can you back up and explain why he would have an unofficial personnel file and why you would want to access it?" Faith pressed, glad that Gibbs was sticking to what they'd planned.

He paused and glanced at Tony and the other NCIS personnel who sat supporting him. "Because when you work undercover operations or vice investigations, you can often find yourself in situations through no fault of your own where you are compromised and can suffer bad consequences if it ended up on your official file. So, for cops and agents that works Black Ops or undercover, they are usually granted the benefit of privacy because of some of the crap stuff that can happen to you on the job."

"How so, Agent Gibbs?"

"Drug addictions, rape and torture are not that uncommon. Nervous breakdowns or even having to commit crimes to maintain a cover are some examples of what you'd expect to find in an unofficial file. DiNozzo was being hired based partly on his undercover skills and record, so I was concerned about how compromised he might be, since I knew he'd been borrowed on numerous occasions to work with the drug and vice squads. I wanted to be sure he wasn't too damaged to do the job when I decided to offer him a job."

"I see. So, do you accept that your belief that he has Narcissistic Personality Disorder was wrong for all these years and that you have damaged his professional reputation by making him the butt of the team's jokes based on a malicious psychological report smuggled into that unofficial file, Special Agent Gibbs?"

Faith held her breath, silently willing the stubborn bastard to admit to his mistake. So much hinged on this sentence, surely he wouldn't falter now they had the finish line in sight? She'd done all the heavy lifting and made it as painless as possible so his male bravado could stay intact as much as was humanly possible. They couldn't let Mr. and Mrs. Weber down now.

"Yeah, the psych report was faked from an undercover operation. I should have doubled-checked," he conceded.

Faith looked at Tony and raised her eyebrows. He hadn't followed the script. They'd agreed that he would state he was wrong and that he regretted his actions, but considering his damned stupid Rule #6, she guessed she'd have to settle for what she could get. Her dad had always taught her to be grateful for small mercies, and maybe he'd met Gibbs when he said it.

She had a sudden mental image of a television character - The Fonz - who couldn't physically speak the words 'I was wrong.' She saw Tony's half nod and realised that he was agreeing that pushing Gibbs too far wasn't worth risking what they had already gotten out of him. She looked at the jury, knowing that they would be quick to judge, and note that he hadn't really accepted responsibility for his mistake, but if he refused to use phrase 'I was wrong' not to mention the 'I'm sorry' words, she couldn't force him. Now it was time for a tactical retreat and to hope for the best.

~Will the Real Narcissist Please Stand Up ~

Tony watched as Jefferies approached Gibbs to begin the cross examination and smiled. "So, it is your contention that you didn't force Lieutenant Wells to make a confession against his will, Special Agent Gibbs?"

Gibbs glared at the lawyer, "No!"

The lawyer then showed the court a section of the interrogation tape where Lieutenant Wells sat in an interrogation room while Gibbs stood up from his chair and stalked up behind the suspect, leaning up close to his ear and spoke inaudibly and with his lips concealed. At that point the defence lawyer stopped the tape. "So, what would you say to the claim that at this point during the interrogation that you threatened to arrange for him to share a cell with a convicted sexual offender if he didn't confess to selling Petty Offer Weber the drugs that she overdosed on?"

Gibbs jaw clenched, "I'd say he's lying."

"Well then, what did you say to my client, that you didn't want the audio technician to hear or the tape to record, Special Agent?" the lawyer asked, his tone clearly reflected his disbelief.

"I appealed to him to spare the Petty Officer's parents' and her fiancé further grief and pain and encouraged him take make it easy on himself by taking responsibility for what they'd done," Gibb stated baldly.

Jefferies let his answer hang there unchallenged for almost a minute, letting the tension build before asking his next question. "And why should we believe you, Gibbs?"

The lead agent was chewing on his bottom lip, obviously trying to keep his short temper in check. "Because I don't lie!" He ground out.

"So you say," the defence attorney goaded him. "And you expect us to believe that Special Agent DiNozzo didn't plant evidence in my client's apartment while he was conducting a search of the premises with Special Agent McGee? Even though he was conveniently alone when he 'discovered' the financial records? And you expect us to accept this because you wouldn't tolerate a member of your team not doing their job properly; do I have that right?"

Again Gibbs showed evidence of why he was known as a functional mute as he glared at Jefferies with his laser-like glare and offered a monosyllabic response, "Yes."

"And we should just take your word, I suppose?" he pressed.

Gibbs rolled his eyes and shrugged, but seeing the disapproving look from Faith responded verbally. "Yes."

"But you've already admitted to being mistaken, oh, my apologies, it wasn't your mistake, it was someone else's and you assumed. Forgive me, Special Agent but isn't that one of your personal rules? Rules that must be obeyed by your team; I think that it is actually Rule #8, isn't it? Never assume?" He prodded the lead investigator, seemingly immune to the murderous rage that he was slowly fuelling in the ex-sniper.

Gibbs managed a whole sentence as he glared daggers at his nemesis, "Rule # 8 is never take anything for granted."

"Indeed, it would seem that you failed to observe your own cardinal rule then, Special Agent, but I'm curious about something else. Why would you want to have someone that you believed to have Narcissistic Personality Disorder as a member of your team? I would have thought that it would be a hindrance rather than an asset, Sir." Howard poked at him insistently.

The whole NCIS contingent, not to mention Faith Coleman, cringed and held their collective breath, all praying that Gibbs wouldn't be goaded into his routine response. And they were disappointed, since he was wrestling to keep his rage in check. The 'don't call me Sir, I work for a living' was out of his mouth before he could even think of self-censuring it, and Tony figured it was probably such a well-worn response after so many years that it was on an ingrained neural loop in his brain, burned well and truly into his synapses. The trouble was that all of the jury also were aware of the genesis of that insult and over half of them were officers unlike the special agent. Those sort of sentiments were hardly likely to win them over as fans of the ex gunny.

Tony exchanged a wry grimace with Balboa who mouthed, "Way to go, Gibbs," with a shake of his head. Jefferies grinned triumphantly, although he was careful to make sure that his reaction was hidden from the jury.

"My apologies, Special Agent Gibbs, I didn't mean to upset you. Oh, I'm sorry, I just broke your Rule #6 didn't I – never apologise because it's a sign of weakness. So, Special Agent, can you answer the question? Why would you even consider employing someone who at that stage, you believed to have Narcissistic Personality Disorder on your elite team?"

Tony stared at Gibbs, seeing that the man was holding his famous temper in check by the thinnest of threads right now. There was the familiar pulsing vein over his left eye and his jaw was so tightly clenched that it was probably in danger of going into spasm, and he saw his mentor take several deep "sniper" breaths before he spontaneously combusted.

"Because I've worked with plenty of narcissists over the years, so I knew I could keep him under control, plus he was a talented investigator and I only work with the best."

"Ah, yes, I believe that is Rule #5 - Don't waste good? You have a lot of rules, Agent Gibbs." When he gave his usual monosyllabic affirmative, Howard nodded seriously. "Can you share some more of them with us; perhaps rule #7?"

Tony was furiously signalling Faith, warning her to stop this now and she caught on quickly, leaping to her feet to object. "Objection, Your Honor, Gibbs has at least fifty-plus rules that he has developed over his distinguished career as a Marine sniper and Special Agent. I fail to see the relevance to the court for us to all be inculcated into his strategies which don't relate to this case."

Jefferies smirked as he argued his position. "I would agree with the Lieutenant Commander if I intended to discuss all of Gibbs' Rules, but this one has direct relevance to the case here today, and if you will grant me a little leeway, I believe I can adequately demonstrate the relevance of this line of questioning to this case.

After allowing the question with a warning to get to point, Jefferies then asked Gibbs again to tell the court about Rule #7.

Glaring at the attorney with his infamous _I'm gonna_ _gut you like a fish or snap your neck like a twig_ glare, Jefferies looked rather uncomfortable, but stood his ground, waiting. Finally, Gibbs growled, "Always be specific when you lie."

Howard kept his jubilation being displayed in his expression. "I see, and yet you would have us believe that you don't lie, yet you have a dedicated rule that helps your team to lie?"

Gibbs glare became even more poisonous than before, if it was possible. Tony decided that Howard Jefferies better have a prepaid funeral organised since he figured Gibbs would kill him after the trial.

"It is a rule for when an agent is working undercover. Obviously, in that situation you have to lie and if you make a mistake, you can end up dead," he explained.

Jefferies displayed his incredulity before switching tack. "So, it's purely coincidental you have a dedicated rule about lying and another one about the best way to keep a secret? I thought you didn't believe in coincidence? What number is that, Special Agent?"

"It doesn't have a number, it's an unwritten one, but yeah, it is." Gibbs stated baldly.

Jefferies went in for the kill. "Ah yes…the unwritten rules. Like the unwritten one that a slap to the back of the head is a wake-up call but a slap to the face is humiliating?"

Gibbs nodded and was instructed to respond verbally which he did with an eye roll.

"So, you don't use it as a form of discipline or a method of demeaning your subordinates?" Jefferies probed, and seemed to be unfazed by the single no that was growled out by the team leader.

"And you don't lie except when undercover, Special Agent Gibbs?" he continued to provoke Gibbs, who was clearly in danger of losing his last nerve.

Tony was watching the train wreck with a sort of shocked horror, but felt like if Gibbs was mild mannered Dr. David Banner, he would have turned into the Incredible Hulk by now and gone all angry green giant and turned the courtroom upside down and ripped Jefferies apart, limb from limb.

"Yes," He hissed.

"And another of your unwritten rules is that actions speak louder than words, is it not?" He asked silkily, seeming to smell blood.

Again Gibbs hissed another affirmative, since he couldn't deny something that he was constantly espousing in the bull pen. When he did, Jefferies gave a jubilant smile and approached the clerk with a DVD that he requested be admitted into evidence and shown to the court.

Tony knew that this had been Howard's end game all along, and they'd been suckered. They had been so focused on defending his credibility, which granted, the defence attorney had done an admirable job of trashing most effectively, and meanwhile the oily bastard had been planning on destroying Gibbs' credibility all along. More to the point, he was trying to use his own damned rules against him. The guy was smarter than Tony had given him credit for, and he wondered what was on the DVD.

He wasn't left wondering for long.

It was the typical security footage showing the NCIS bull pen and McGee sitting at his desk with DiNozzo leaning over the desk, his light beside him as they read out what Tony seemed to recall were a series of emails from a suspect and a deceased suspect. The footage showed Gibbs standing on the other side of McGee's desk directly in front of DiNozzo. Although there was no audio on the security footage, Tony remembered he'd been reading the email in a fake voice which had infuriated Gibbs who then clearly reached over and whacked him over the left temple with his hand. Tony flinched and gave him a hairy eyeball several times before continuing to read in his normal voice. Cringing inwardly, Tony was mortified because, even to him, he could see the momentary humiliation flash across his face before he donned his professional mask. Dear God, what had he done to deserve to be humiliated for a second time like this in front of a bunch of strangers?

Yet, there was more!

The tape jumped and indicated another date and once again McGee was sitting at his desk and Tony and Ziva were talking to him before Tony approached the front of his desk so he was facing him and he adjusted McGee's desk lamp so he can examine McGee's chin and reached out to stroke it gently with his fingers. Tony remembered teasing McGee about him trying to grow stubble to look tougher. At that point Gibbs came into the bull pen, stood there beside his senior field agent, spoke to him before taking his right hand and whacking him over the left side of the head. As the courtroom started to buzz, Balboa and Cassie closed ranks on either side of him pressing up against him to help ground him as he struggled to keep the mask in place.

Jefferies stopped the tape to comment. "Looks humiliating to me and not like he needed a wake-up call, but then they weren't slaps to the back of the head either. These were just two incidents that I discovered while examining security tapes while looking for other evidence. This next example is one that of my clerks discovered by accident on a You-tube channel called Bully Bosses and it was apparently uploaded from security footage during a case in the public domain.

Tony watched it stony faced and realised immediately by the length of his hair that it was at least five years before, and when he saw the marbled foyer and the ultra-shiny, plastic veneer of the blonde PA who flirted with him, that it was the Suzanne McNeil case where Cate and Gibbs and him were nearly blown up by the crazy Jane Doe that had been buried alive.

The footage showed Gibbs approach him and he looking annoyed and Tony recalled he'd been tasked to spy on the CEO of BFF, Stephan Brauer, since they were positive that he tried to kill Suzanne and he was suspected of being involved in a plot to blow up a Navy ship. Gibbs said something to him and he replied. Tony remembered it was a commentary about the guy's obsession with micro management and an unwise joke about getting the blonde's phone number, which was a joke since she was too darned hard, and he always preferred women to have a combination of femininity and strength.

As he turned his head away to look at the pair, Gibbs clearly head slapped him using his right hand and hits his head over his left ear, well away from the back of the head, and looked to be intentional. On the tape, Tony reacted with an embarrassed half-laugh and a mortified expression, and he remembered how pissed he felt when Gibbs had done that out in public. Gibbs had made him feel like his father, incompetent and foolish.

Jefferies shot Tony a pitying look, as he stopped the tape again. "Personally, I'd be humiliated if my boss did that to me in public, and many of the comments by the people that viewed it also echoed my sentiments while the rest thought it was uproariously funny. Many people called it assault or abuse. I also have one more piece of footage to show the court which I believe demonstrates that Gibbs was not truthful when he stated that that his head slaps were management tools to focus his investigators. It will illustrate that we really cannot believe a word he says."

He paused dramatically, and Tony decided that if Gibbs didn't kill the bastard, he'd be seriously tempted to do it himself. Was his shame never going to end? He must have done something really shocking in the karma lottery to have earned this hell.

Again, it was NCIS security footage and it showed the bull pen. Judging by the shortness of his hair, even without the date stamp, Tony knew it was not long after Cate Todd's death, a truly black period. Gibbs, Abby, McGee, Tony and Ziva were standing around the bull pen obviously discussing a case and everyone looked serious, even stressed. Jefferies stopped the tape and informed the court that he had had a court approved lip reader to transcribe the conversation and tendered into evidence the transcript as exhibit 18 B. He continued, "I also have the lip reader available to give evidence as a witness should the prosecution wish to cross examine her.

"To paraphrase the conversation, you were all discussing the distance between the shooter and a police detective who was gunned down. Special Agent Gibbs, you state that the shooter who you think is the driver of the vehicle was a distance of one foot from the victim who was standing next to the vehicle when the shot was fired. Special Agent DiNozzo interrupts and contradicts Gibbs at this point, at which point Special Agent Gibbs instructs his newly appointed liaison from Mossad to head slap her superior, Special Agent DiNozzo." Everyone watching could clearly see her comply with her order, but it was what she did next that caused uproar in the courtroom. After slapping him forcefully across the back of the head, she can then be seen smirking about it while blowing on her hand, then wiping it.

As Tony closed his eyes involuntarily, Jefferies approached Gibbs and enquired, "Why did Special Agent DiNozzo disagree with you, Special Agent Gibbs?" When he failed to respond, Jefferies persisted. "I already have the transcript, Gibbs, but I think you should be honest for a change. Why did Special Agent DiNozzo disagree with your assessment?"

"Because the car was a right-hand drive vehicle imported from Ireland and the driver would have been sitting further away than one foot, so he couldn't have been the shooter. There was a passenger in the car who was the one that shot the victim," Gibbs explained in a strangled voice.

"So, why did you tell the most junior member of your team, one who wasn't even a bona fide federal agent, to head slap your second in command and her superior in the chain of command?"

"I wanted him to focus, damn it. McGee was being wrongly accused of killing a cop and DiNozzo was goofing off."

"But he wasn't unfocused, though. His observation about the vehicle was instrumental in you looking for a second person of interest in the case and led to the apprehension of the passenger who had shot the detective?"

Gibbs nodded and forced out a yes.

"So, when you discovered that he had actually been focused and trying to do his job by bringing new facts to your attention, did you apologised to him for humiliating him in from of his subordinates?" He prodded the furious agent.

Gibbs spat out a no, his hands tightly clenched.

"No?" he asked incredulously. "Why not?"

"Apologies are a sign of weakness," He shouted at Jefferies as Faith and the NCIS contingent looked on in horror.

Jefferies smiled predatorily as he approached the witness box and stared at Gibbs for several minutes without speaking. "And what if I said I could produce half a dozen witnesses that could testify that earlier on, during that very same case, you apologised to the very agent that had been charged with the negligent homicide of the well-respected detective." He waved away the outraged spluttering from Gibbs.

"Oh, yes, I know that you didn't actually come out and say I was wrong, or I'm sorry, but you did tell him that you should have gone down with him to the Metro PD precinct when he was questioned, and you also told him that you let him down. Now, I may not be a linguist nor a wordsmith, but I think that to most people, that would still qualify as an apology and an acknowledgement of wrongdoing. Are you denying that you apologised to Special Agent McGee when he returned to work after being charged with shooting the dead detective?"

The Senior Agent in Charge of the MCRT gave a defeated sigh, looked across at his colleagues and said, "Yes, I apologised."

"And isn't is also true that even with your exhaustive forensic testing you were unable to determine whether the person you killed while resisting arrest fired the kill shot or if it came from your agent's gun…"

Balboa leaned over and hissed, "What a piranha," and Tony nodded in complete accord.

"…Yet you still felt that it was appropriate to apologise to your agent who had potentially made an error resulted in an accidental shooting, even if he didn't fire the kill shot, yet when you humiliated DiNozzo and compromised the chain of command, contributing to his subordinates having no respect for him or his position as senior field agent, even though he was doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing and helping to clear your probie, you didn't admit to any wrongdoing?" Jefferies enquired disbelievingly. "I thought that as a Marine you would have been a man of honour?" Ignoring the spluttering from Gibbs that was always precursor to an explosion of biblical proportions, he turned on his heel and stalked back towards the long defence table where his client and second-chair were sitting.

"No further quest…oh, wait!" he spun around and fixed Gibbs with an interrogative stare. "Tell me, Special Agent Gibbs, is it also standard operating procedure at Naval Criminal Investigative Services to allow an agent who has been charged with negligent homicide to accompany you to arrest the person you suspected of being the real killer? Or was it SOP according to one of the written or unwritten but sacrosanct rules according to Gibbs? Isn't it fortunate that it was you that shot the dirty cop and not your agent that was waiting for his arraignment? It might have raised a lot of questions that you may have found awkward to answer," He observed. "Tell me, Gibbs, Why should we believe a single word you say?" He asked before all hell broke out in the courtroom and the judge adjourned the proceedings and ordered the jury to be escorted from the room A.S.A.P.

Tony managed to hold it together until the jury had been escorted out by the courtroom attendants before the atmosphere of being at a public hanging or flogging where the crowd smelt blood was just too odious for him to bear and he fled, seeing Carly Weber's parents in the process, and seeing how shattered they looked. Approaching them gently, he whispered for them to follow him and he led them out a side doorway and away from the bedlam that seemed to be getting worse, rather than settling down. Grabbing a Junior JAG officer that he had worked with once or twice, he quickly gave her a sitrep, and she took them to an empty conference room and organised for tea and coffee to be delivered.

Sipping his coffee, although he wished he had something stronger, he looked at the two innocent victims in all of this, and hated Howard Jefferies even more than he did his dirtbag client. He had a terrible feeling that Rixon Wells was going to walk.

Standing up and walking over to Mrs. Weber, he crouched down on one knee and gently took her hand and looked her in the eyes as he apologised for the terrible mess. Although tears sprang to her eyes and soon began to fall onto the table relentlessly, she squeezed his hand and shook her head.

"Please, Special Agent DiNozzo, James and I don't blame you. We know that you did your best for our Carly. We're so sorry that you've been dragged through the mud, doing your job. We see you as a victim just as much as us or our daughter, and we both think it's a disgrace!"

~ Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up ~

_End of flashback._

Now, as he listened to the bluesy lament of Bobby 'Blue' Blands classic album, he was only peripherally aware that his cell phone and landline hadn't stopped ring since he'd arrived home this afternoon. He really didn't want to talk to anyone, since there was nothing that could be said that wasn't already being expressed so much more eloquently by the music that filled his apartment. Although the utter FUBAR that had taken place when Gibbs had testified a few days ago had been bad enough to have him crawl under the bedcovers and try to shut out the world by sleeping off a sizeable hangover, the expected verdict was worse. Now, it was absolutely, tangibly real and all the crap he had put up with, the psychological digging and the baring of some of his most private secrets had been for naught. Lieutenant Rixon Wells was found by the jury to be not guilty of the manslaughter of Petty Officer Carly Weber. They had let her down.

Absently, he noted a pounding that almost seemed to vibrate through the apartment and which seemed at odds with the music that embraced him with its melancholy air. Then finally he heard voiced raised that were utterly discordant with Bland's soulful dirge, and he realised that someone was at his door and threatening to kick it in.

Endnotes: The four pieces of security footage Jefferies used at the end are taken from four separate episodes. Two should be fairly easily identifiable but just wondering if anyone can identify all four episodes that Jefferies/I used in formulating this chapter?


	20. Chapter 20

A/N Welcome to the final chapter of the story. A reviewer told me that I should feel free to make this last one extra long and it is quite long, I'm afraid. I briefly considered splitting it to make it easier to read but eventually decided against it. Thank-you to everyone for their support in reviewing, following and adding this to their favourites list. I hope everyone will enjoy this last chapter.

Just to clarify, there are certain individuals who are used as part of the story who have had the Thom E. Gemcity treatment since Fan Fiction rules do not permit stories about real people. Just wanted to point out that these mistakes are actually intentional and no reflection on the Beta skills of the wonderful Arress. Real individuals or movies that Tony quotes are still referred to accurately though. If that sounds confusing, you'll understand when you read the chapter :D

Several people accurately identified the episodes in the previous chapter. For the record they are in order or appearance: An Eye For an Eye, Iced, Left For Dead and Probie. FYI, the sequel to this story is titled What a Difference a Year Makes: 8760 Little Hours. Hope to have it up soon :)

Will the Real Narcissist Please Stand up

Chapter 20

Anthony DiNozzo, former special agent for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, or at least he would be when his resignation took effect at the end of the month, smoothed down the sleeves on his beloved Armani jacket. Picking up his car keys, bottle of vintage red wine and a box of handmade Belgian chocolate truffles, he left his apartment with a truly soul searing sigh. The last thing that he felt like doing tonight was driving halfway across DC, especially in the rain for a dinner party with a bunch of people that he didn't even know. Hell, even if he'd known the dinner guests, he wouldn't feel like attending some fashionable DC networking event, but he couldn't get out of it without offending his host. His attendance was quid pro quo of sorts, but Tony was merely going through the motions, putting in an appearance even if his heart wasn't in it.

Before he'd tendered his resignation officially, he'd kept his promise to Faith Coleman. She'd made appointments for him to receive legal opinions about the tenability of his position in law enforcement from the best legal minds. The JAG officer had been true to her promise, and had organised for him to see the Judge Advocate General and the Attorneys' General for DC, Virginia and Maryland, and the Federal AG for good measure. She'd even gone with him to determine if his situation could be salvaged, but as they had already suspected, it would be difficult although not entirely impossible after the hatchet job that Jefferies had engineered, especially when the jury had failed to convict. Although privately, Tony thought that Gibbs was probably just as much of a lame duck, it wasn't really his concern anymore.

Of course, Gibbs had singlehandedly found a way to do his job while stubbornly refusing to obey many of the rules and regulations of the agency for over a decade and a half and ignored his superiors when it suited him. In fact, he'd thrived and flourished where anyone else would have been fired long ago. He was a paradox for sure. He'd filled in as the Acting Director on more than one occasion and if he wanted the big chair, then he would have got it because no one refused Gibbs once he set his mind on something, irrespective of his often outrageous behaviour. But then, there had always been rumours that Gibbs knew where all the bodies were buried, so perhaps that explained it.

Gibbs had always been the sort of guy to make a square peg fit into a round hole, even if he had to pound it in. Remembering how Cynthia, Director Shepard's PA, had told him Gibbs had told Jenny she was a junior director once when she reminded him during a dressing down that she wasn't a junior agent, and he walked away without consequences. He was sure if anyone else had been so contemptuously insubordinate, they'd be sent to an office in Outer Mongolia, but Gibbs was the original Teflon man - nothing stuck to him. Maybe he would just intimidate all the JAG personnel and the defence attorneys in DC or do a Vulcan like memory wipe using a Marine nerve grip and wipe away any memory of his little credibility issues caused by Howard Jefferies, but one thing Tony knew… he wasn't Gibbs.

If he hadn't known it when he was first hired, he was well and truly acquainted with the concept after he'd led the team for a few highly stressed months when Gibbs resigned. His oh so helpful colleagues wasted absolutely no opportunity in telling him, showing him, mocking him or ignoring him, and even if he was just a dumb jock, he could take a hint. So, while his career was effectively toast, no doubt Gibbs would manage to brush the crap off his boots and rise up like the famed phoenix from the ashes, because after all he was Gibbs. So, after Faith had been satisfied that she hadn't given him bad advice, that they'd confirmed he was the agency equivalent to Mark Furman, i.e. the poisoned chalice, he'd gone ahead and handed in his notice, and really he just couldn't bring himself to care. Truthfully, he couldn't seem to shake off the anguished expressions of Verity and James Weber and he saw them when he closed his eyes and when he got up every morning. The sense of failure was overwhelming and he was finding it hard to feel passionate about anything anymore.

Arriving at the modest six-bedroom Georgian home of his host, slightly damp and knocking at the front door, he sighed again, wishing that this dinner party was already finished. Plastering an insincere if fairly convincing smile on his face, the door opened and he was greeted with Tom Morrow's effusive smile when he saw Tony standing on the front doorstep.

Extending his hand, he welcomed him warmly. "Tony, I'm glad you came. I wasn't sure you would."

Tony shrugged as he entered the cosy home of his old boss and smiled wryly, "I didn't want to. No offence, but I'm not feeling very much like socialising…" He handed over his bottle of wine and chocolate truffles, "For Mrs. Morrow and you, Sir."

Leading him into the spacious living area, Tom laid a hand on Tony's shoulder. "Tonight, please call us Tom and Lynette, Tony. Thank you for the wine, that's a good vintage, and you remembered my wife's weakness for chocolates, but then you always noticed the little things. She'll love you," he chuckled. "As to our guests tonight, most are up and coming artists, actors and musicians that my wife takes a special interest in. You might remember she is on the board of the Washington Philharmonic and the Hirshhorn Museum at the Smithsonian. She is quite a patron of the arts, so you shouldn't be too bored with political machinations tonight. Although there is someone here who is eager to talk to you."

Tony stared at the Deputy Director of Homeland Security. Honestly, if Morrow was playing cupid and trying to set him up with someone…although realistically that was probably more Mrs. Morrow's style. He didn't want to have to be social with anyone at the moment let alone go on a date, God forbid! He just wanted to be left alone, even though he appreciated everyone's concern.

Morrow dragged him over to a group of people standing making polite chit-chat as one did at a dinner party, to introduce him to the group and Tony was mildly disconcerted to see Dr. Susan Faber smiling at him.

Raising an eyebrow he smiled thinly. "Hey, Doc, didn't know that you knew the Morrows."

Moving away from the group by tacit agreement to speak privately, the angular, ash blonde smiled at him. "Well, not all that well, only from when our paths crossed when he was the director. But I kind of invited myself to dinner when I heard rumours that you were emerging out of your bat cave, tonight. You know, you're a hard person to get a hold of lately, Tony?" she chided him gently.

Accepting the rebuke in the spirit that it had been intended, out of genuine concern for him, he smiled grimly. "Not feeling very social right now, Doc, y'know?"

Assessing him with a frankly clinical air, Susan looked less than impressed with his current mask. "I think we got that email, Tony, but you have to understand that you have some good people in your corner who care about you a lot and you have us worried." She smiled kindly, "I heard that there was quite a scene at your apartment following the verdict last week?"

Tony shook his head, a genuine grin briefly dancing across his face as he remembered the finale to that shit-filled day.

* * *

Flashback

* * *

Eventually, Tony realised that someone was pounding on his door and threatening to break it down. Figuring it was Gibbs come to yell at him for well… maybe possessing a head that had wilfully connected with el Jefe's hand, or possibly Vance come to fire him, he decided that he'd better open the door. Not that he wanted to see either man or indeed anyone actually, but whoever it was didn't sound like they'd go away and he would just end up with a busted door. Striding to the door, flinging it open and determined to tear strips off his unwelcome guest, he stepped back, shocked as he regarded his would-be destroyer-of-doors in stunned silence. For once he was lost for words.

Staring into the scared faces of Jimmy Palmer and Nikki Jardine with Rocky Balboa who was racing up the stairwell, skidding to a stop in front of Tony's now open door way, he looked between the trio.

"Are you okay Tony?" Balboa asked, rather breathlessly after jogging up three flights of stairs flat out.

Tony nodded and gestured for them to come into the apartment, since a small crowd of his neighbours had gathered outside in the hallway, and Tony really didn't want to create any more of a scene than they already had. Wandering to his fridge and snagging four bottles of beer, he turned his stereo low and invited them to sit down, handing them all a beer.

Looking at his friends in confusion, he asked, "What are you doing here and why are you threatening to break down my door?"

It seemed that Balboa had been tacitly appointed spokesperson for the group. "We were worried when you wouldn't answer your phone, Tony, and when you wouldn't talk to Palmer and Nikki and refused to open the door, they got scared and called me."

Tony felt a little guilty, he hadn't felt like talking, but he hadn't meant to worry them. "Okay, I should have sent a text I guess, but c'mon, guys, it's not a reason to threaten to kick my door down - dramatic much? My neighbours undoubtedly think my friends are certifiable."

Palmer gave a long suffering sigh. "We didn't threaten to kick the door in because you didn't answer the phone, Tony. Well, not just because… you scared me when you wouldn't open the door. We knocked and you wouldn't answer and I was expecting to find you…" He seemed reluctant to finish the sentence and when Tony realised what his friend was alluding to, he understood his reluctance to voice his fears. If he hadn't already contemplated it, Jimmy didn't want to plant the thought in his clearly disturbed brain.

"Hey, Gremlin, I told you before that I wasn't going to end it all like some tragic heroine in a cheap romance novel. I've worked enough suicides not to do that to you guys." Besides he finished silently, there were ways of taking care of things so you didn't leave a messy corpse behind for other people to have to clean up. "I still don't get why you didn't just ask me to let you in instead of threatening to break down the door, although who knew that our baby gremlin would go all He-Man on me. You're all grown up now, aren't you, Jimmy?"

Palmer went a pretty shade of pink while Nikki and Balboa sniggered. Still not looking convinced by Tony's statement about not planning on harming himself, he was also clearly irritated. "Damn it, Tony, Nikki and I pounded on the freakin door for twenty minutes and you never answered. Tell me what the Hell were we supposed to think?"

_Okay, probably a fair point,_ Tony conceded silently. "Sorry, Jimmy, but I didn't hear you, honest, I must have zoned out or something. Just needed to get away for a while, y'know?" he apologised, sheepishly. _Haven't lost time like that for too long to remember, but not a habit he wanted to encourage even if the shrinks said it was a coping mechanism, a reaction to extreme stress - albeit an unhealthy one._

* * *

End of flashback

* * *

Susan smiled at Tony, dolefully. "They were scared, Tony. Jimmy said that Nikki was so worked up she was attacking your door without bacterial hand wipes or her latex gloves. And they are all concerned that you've shut yourself away and are avoiding everyone. Cassie said you turned down a pizza and movie the other night. So, talk to me, please."

"Hey," he protested defensively, "I have so been out this week. Faith and I have been doing the rounds of the Attorneys' General, and I went into the Naval Yard to hand in my letter of resignation. That's hardly cloistering myself up in the castle turrets, not in my book, anyway Doc."

"Maybe," she conceded, "But you have been pushing your support network away. You do realise that just because you are planning on leaving, that they don't plan on forgetting you. They want to be there for you and to stay in contact with you, you idiot. As I said before, they care about you. A. LOT."

Tony snorted in amusement, "And that's why I love you, Doc, cuz you're the only shrink I know that would tell a crazy person they're an idiot. Not that I'm deflecting or indulging in self-deceptive behaviour, nope, just that I'm an idiot. Where were you when I was doing mandatory counselling or psych evals? I might have even thrown caution to the winds and tackled my intimacy issues. I actually might have disclosed something significant, Susan." he teased her, flirting with her, gently.

What she was going to retort was lost when Lynette Morrow appeared in the room to conduct everyone to the dining room to eat. Grabbing her arm and offering his own to escort her in, Tony piloted her to the dining table and held out her chair for her to sit down, before taking the seat beside her. Looking around the table he could see that Tom hadn't been fast and loose with the truth. There were no asses from the Hill that needed kissing at this table, hallelujah!

Many of the guests had a bohemian air about them or an unconventional, nonconformist appearance so far removed from the political types or spooks that he had been expecting to see. There was no way these body pierced, dreadlocked; Tele-tubby tinted hair-dyed and tattooed types were anything but artists, actors and musos. Well, with the exception of the pair walking to the table beside Morrow that was. They looked as out of place here among Lynette Morrow's artsy chick-lets as an elephant dressed in a tutu at the ballet.

He guessed since they were in the Morrow home that they really hadn't been headhunting that scum-sucking shyster, ambulance chasing Howard Jefferies, after all. They were Tom's cronies evidently, although the stunning blonde with the riotous curls had traded her ultra-chic Chanel suit for an extremely elegant lace number that was still avant-garde enough to fit in with the artistic dinners. Seeing Susan admiring the dress, he leaned in to ask if she thought it was a Collette Dinnigan design, an up and coming designer making a name for herself. Jeanne had been a big fan of hers and had several of her gowns, admiring the femininity of her formal dresses _and he really had to stop doing that, since she was a part of his past_. Curly lock's escort, however, looked like exactly what he was - a suit. He was oh so very average in every sense, that Tony figured the guy just had to be a spy and figured he was about to find out who it was that wanted to offer him a job.

Although he was really not keen on the thought of more subterfuge and duplicity, he'd promised Tom that he'd at least consider the job offer, so he supposed that he would have to listen politely before rejecting it. Meanwhile, the food was simple, unpretentious and delicious, and Tom had excellent wines to accompany the various courses. Tony was relieved when none of the guests felt the need to make polite chit-chat or ask what he and the Doc did for a living Although he was surprised when the suit, who introduced himself as Carter Johnson, mentioned he was a producer who had a production company that made reality TV programs and his companion was a Hollywood publicist called Ceinwen Davies. More surprising though, was that several of Mrs. Morrow's aspiring baby thespians seemed to have heard of both of them, so maybe he was losing his touch and they really were just superficial members of the glitterati, after all. He really wasn't a fan of the genre, although the descriptor 'reality' was something of a misnomer as far as he was concerned, since nothing about it was real.

After dinner, Lynette Morrow moved everyone adroitly into a rather spacious music room, housing a grand piano and invited her musical protégés to perform for them all. A young virtuoso wowed them with her classical ability on the piano before she graciously agreed to accompany a mezzo soprano and a tenor who were beginning to garner attention as rising stars of the Washington National Opera, and they sang a number of songs from Madame Butterfly. Then a slightly older musician made his Rhonheimer violin sing for them all, before he played a duet with a painfully thin and awkward woman who dragged out her cello and captivated them all with their magic, her awkwardness forgotten as she lost herself in her music.

Finally, Lynette turned to Tony and smiled winsomely, "Tom tells me you play piano, too, Tony. Please, would you grace us with a song or two?"

Tony wondered how Morrow knew he could play. He'd once posed as a pianist in a jazz bar where they were trying to crack a prostitution ring. That had been when he worked in Baltimore, but it hadn't been an exactly high profile bust and he was surprised that Tom would know about it. Then again, Jenny had him posing as a guitar strumming, reggae singing, street busker when he was running surveillance on La Grenouille and that odious CIA rat bastard, Trent Kort, a couple of years ago. Not sure how she knew he could play guitar, either.

Still, Tony hated performing like this. It reminded him of when he was a child and his mother used to dress him in outlandish sailor suites, or else mini three-piece copies of his father's suits, and have him perform at their society or business dinners. And he hated to be put on the spot, but he could hardly refuse without being rude, so he reluctantly stood and made his way over to the piano stool, wondering what the Hell he was going to play.

Maybe it was thinking about his stint in the jazz bar, but he figured anything classical he offered up following the young virtuoso and Lynette's protégés would inevitably be a huge let down and embarrass the Hell out of him, so the recently unemployed former agent decided to improv. some of his beloved jazz for his captive audience. Tony had always found solace in sitting down and losing himself in his music, but he didn't find the same satisfaction playing for an audience even if, surprisingly, the musicians seemed appreciative of his amateur efforts. Susan Faber appeared stunned, but in a good way, and applauded him generously when he finished playing.

Later she gave him a contemplative look. "You're a dark horse, Tony. Where'd you learn to play like that and why wasn't it in your file?"

He shrugged, _like it wasn't enough to have had to bare his soul for the Wells debacle,_ "My mother was a talented musician, she taught me to play. As to why it wasn't in my file, I don't see that it's relevant." _Along with the elocution lessons,_ _the dressage training, fencing lessons, ballroom dancing, French classes and a few other things he didn't even want to think about. Sometimes he'd felt a bit like Little Lord Fauntleroy or a character in one of the Bronte sisters' novels as a young kid. No wonder I ended up being so screwed up._

Later on, Tom invited him into his study for a cognac, along withCarter Johnson, when it was the turn of the thespians to entertain everyone with their oratory skills. Tony was relieved, as he wasn't in the mood to listen to declamations. He'd frankly been forced to listen to way too many during the Wells trial. As he settled into one the comfortable leather wing chairs, Tony was somewhat surprised to see that Ceinwen Davies had joined him. _So this wasn't brandy and cigars in the billiard room for the men moment, then. _Although he was somewhat amused when Morrow handed Johnson a Havana, but neither man lit up and he didn't bother to offer Tony one, probably in deference to his battle-scarred set of lungs.

As they all sat silently sipping on their French brandy, there was a slightly awkward atmosphere which Tony decided to smash, since he was pretty sure that they weren't who they claimed to be.

"So, Mr. Johnson, are you really a producer of 'reality' television or are you a spook?" Tony enquired, in a deceptively friendly tone.

Tom's cognac apparently went down the wrong way as he started choking violently, while the spectacular Ms. Davies smiled rather maliciously at the _Suit_.

Johnson stared at Tony appraisingly. "You are as sharp as your reputation suggests, Agent DiNozzo, and obviously you don't beat around the bush, which can be an admirable trait. So, to answer your questions: yes and yes."

Tony absorbed that information dispassionately before turning to Davies. "And are you really a Hollywood publicist or a spy, too?"

She smiled, "Yes, Tony, I am really a publicist and I'm also a spy, and I don't suppose I need to mention that if you tell anyone about my second job, I'll have to kill you."

Tony looked unperturbed by the rejoinder. "Duly noted, Ms. Davies, so I guess it's fortunate that I am the model of discretion. Therefore, I guess it would be fair to assume that tonight is a job interview?"

Seeing the pair of spooks look over at Morrow with a censorious air, Tony interjected. "Hey, I have multiple sources and Tom simply advised me to listen to any job offers I might find coming my way. I'd already notice you two in the courtroom, nice suit by the way," he smiled at Ceinwen. "Carter, I hope you don't mind me being too forward, but a word of advice. When you're trying to blend in and go unnoticed, being too boringly average can be more suspicious than standing out a little bit. There's such a thing as trying too hard to hide in plain sight, and that's suspect in and of itself. Add a colourful tie or complementary toned shirt or even some flashy shoes, and you'll merge in much better."

Johnson looked amused and impressed rather than irritated to have someone twenty years his junior giving him advice on flying below the radar. He looked at Morrow and nodded. "He's everything I hope for, Tom. We'll take him."

Tony cleared his throat dramatically. "I think what we have here is failure to communicate," he drawled. "When I said that this was a job interview I meant that I would be interviewing you. You need to convince me I should work with you, since I'm not really looking to move into spooking." He grinned at the bemused expressions on the faces of the two spies as he exchanged an amused glance with his old boss. "Did I miss something or did I send out feelers that I was looking for employment, Sir?"

Morrow chuckled and looked across at his old partner, his eyes dancing with merriment. "Looks like you're gonna have to woo if him if you want him, Carter. He isn't all that keen on spies, been burnt, as I think I mentioned."

Johnson looked frustrated. "What do you want, DiNozzo, big bucks, fancy cars?"

"The truth, I need to be told the truth. I'm done with lies, betrayals, half-truths and deception." Tony stated passionately. "I won't tolerate it any longer; I need to trust the people I work with or I can't work with them. So, before I even think about accepting a job, I need for you to convince me that you won't feed me BS. I'd rather be told that I can't know the truth than to be lied to… Then I have to figure out if I can trust you. So go ahead… try to sell me the condo that I don't need or want."

Johnson stared at him and nodded, gathering his thoughts. "This new millennium has brought about several important changes in the way we protect our country, mainly because our country has changed," He began, somewhat pompously.

"Apart from the technological changes, we have the Cult of the Celebrity now, where society worships at the altar of people who are famous. While we have always admired movie stars and musicians, rock stars and the like, with the rise of reality TV there has been an upsurgeance in people becoming famous for being... well, famous and they have become role models, God help us all… and people that we aspire to become. Like the Paris Hyatt's and Nicoletta Richie's from that program _The Great Life._ And focus groups have already forecast that a new crop of celebrity television shows and stars will rise to popularity, such as a new show called _Keeping Up Appearances with the Karlashians_, although, personally I think it sounds like a pretty weak premise to base a show upon, in all conscience. Who'd want to waste time watching a bunch of vapid clotheshorses every week? Then again, the hit shows _Holly Wood Hills_ and _The Real Wives of Lemon County_ seemed pretty stupid, too, but are ratings successes, so what the Hell do I, a mere male, know."

Tony snorted thinking this must be the most inane job interview ever and wondered where this guy was headed and would he ever get to the point. And he'd though Ducky was longwinded.

He continued, "We've come a long way from the first reality shows of the nineties like _Every Day_ _Cops, _which were genuine fly-on-the-wall documentary-type realities shows. Now, we have all sorts of 'reality shows', but there's not much that is real about them, well, no more than _World of Wrestling_…"

_Tony sniggered remembering Jimmy's shocked expression at a crime scene when Ducky had commented casually that his mother loved watching the wrestling and he didn't have the heart to tell her that it was all a sham. Poor Gremlin had, like the late Victoria Mallard, thought that it had all been entirely on the up and up._

"…Yet _Dancing with the Celebrities_, _America's Next Hot Model_, _The Lonely Bachelor_ and _Surviving_ have all helped create a swag of new celebrities and starlets who are famous for being famous, and we have a never ending demand for celebrities who indulge in TMI* that is insatiable. We began to realise that it was possible to use reality television for our own intelligence purposes as a front for counter-intelligence operations. Our organisation produces _The Greatest Race Around the World _program,and it gives us the perfect cover to traipse into the worlds' hotspots. Our film crews and contestants create a circus making the show and pouring cash into the economy of countries that harbour unfriendlies and diverting attention away from our operatives who can go in under cover, gather intelligence and carry out operations."

Tony considered the information he'd been offered. "Okay, I can see how that might be a smart use of resources and taking advantage of circumstances, but what's that got to do with me and my undercover skills, which according to my sources is what you're interested in? You want me to become a contestant? Because that isn't something that I'm interested in, sorry."

Johnson smirked. "Oh, trust me, Tony, that would be such a waste of your very unique talents. We have a separate division to our ... production company. Mostly our operatives are undercover with stars and celebrities that have the right profile for our specific needs. We look for stars that are hugely famous right around the globe rather than just popular in the US." Tony noticed that Carter was getting enthused about his subject, and Tom and Ceinwen were engaged, too.

"We want to utilise the stars that can get entre to places and people where the usual NSA or CIA operative would never get a foot inside the compound," He continued. "Even dictators and despots, drug and war lords, arms and weapons dealers and, surprisingly, terrorists, will invite a Madinna, Bon Javi, Sean Monnery, George Cooney or an Angelina Julie for a party to impress their guests and business associates. They gain status by having them attend and they gain notoriety orbiting around the stars. So, we've placed people undercover in stars' entourages who have the right profile. Our people are like remora on a shark and can slip in with the celebrity and be invisible. So our operatives are the stylists and makeup artists, the personal chefs and trainers that seem to be de rigueur these days, even for your average celebrity."

"Or a high-profile Hollywood publicist?" Tony inquired slyly.

Ceinwen laughed and he noted absently that her laugh had a pleasing musical quality. "Exactly!"

Tony frowned, still not getting the point. "Okay, guys, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't see the benefit of your operation. The KGB used to travel around with the Bolshoi Ballet and other State run cultural groups spying on the West during the Cold War when they toured, especially outside the Iron Curtain. But not really seeing any of this that has my name jumping up and biting me on the ass and begging me to get involved. I mean, obviously I have a degree in physical education so I could work as a personal trainer, but frankly I would be climbing the walls pandering to some star after a few months and I take it these gigs are long term. So I have to decline the offer."

Tom grinned at his old friend, "You might want to get to the good bits, Carter, before your brand new blue-eyed boy turns you down flat. Lucky you're a spy and not a used car salesman, because I think that you might starve," he teased.

Flashing an exasperated scowl at his old buddy he shook his head and smirked, "Not helping, Tom!" before addressing Tony dryly. "Well, Tony, you're harder to persuade than my first wife when I tried to convince her to sleep with me on our first date."

The former federal agent smirked, "Carter, don't go getting your hopes up. You're so not my type and anyway, I have no intention of ending up as some rich reality producer's trophy wife. I'd never settle for less than a Hollywood movie producer."

Joining in the laughter at his expense, Johnson glared at them all. "Okay, wise ass. We don't want you to be part of an entourage, Anthony. We want you to acquire an entourage." Seeing the confusion in Tony's eyes he smiled. "Look, we want you to create an undercover persona as a movie star. Everyone I've talked to about you raves about your acting ability, so this seems like a perfect marriage. I've pulled some strings to get you your first audition, but it will be up to you and your skills from here on in, to land the role and then start building up your resume, since you have to do this the old-fashioned way to avoid any suspicions. Once you have some credibility, we can start creating a movie star persona and build up your entourage of hangers on, but in your case, they will all just be window dressing. You'll only have your handler who will know exactly what you really are and have your back."

Seeing Tony's astonished expression, Tom smiled. "I never thought I live to see the day you'd be lost for words, Tony."

Finally he shook his head, dazed by the suggestion. "Okay, hanging out with actors and directors, making movies, being undercover and still being able to use my skills to make a real difference and help people, that all sounds fantastic and challenging enough so that I wouldn't be bored, I'll admit, but this is nuts, you are nuts."

Johnson stared at him. "Tony, anyone who can stay undercover with the mafia for a year, who can take on the lead of the MCRT and handle training a new senior field agent plus a probie, carry on an undercover mission simultaneously and keep their team mates from knowing about it, and maintaining the role for almost a year, can do this. You love movies, but more importantly you had the knowledge about cinematography to pose as a professor. I watched you play your part during the trial," He noticed the same dangerous expression that he'd observed when he'd mentioned The Frog operation and hurried on.

"You've played a wide variety of characters during your undercover career, so I see no reason we… you wouldn't be able to pull this off. Our analysts have crunched the numbers and we have no doubt. We believe in you, and this isn't something that we dreamed up in the last few weeks. We've been planning this for a few years now, but our sources told us you weren't psychologically ready to leave NCIS before now."

Grimacing at that statement, Tony looked across at his old boss questioningly. "It's true Tony, I've seen the analyses by the boffins, but more to the point, I've seen you under pressure and under cover and I think that you can pull this off, if anyone can, and you decide it is something you want to do. The downside, though, is that some people will take your success in your new job as proof positive of narcissism, in spite of everything."

"Um … thanks, Tom, for the vote of confidence, that means a lot. And those people already think it of me anyway and nothing I did or will do is going to change the way they see me," He said wistfully, thinking of the team. "I'm always gonna be a joke." Tony stated sardonically.

"So… if, and I stress if… I did this, I would need to know who I'd be working with, my partner, before I make a decision…" he started explaining as Ceinwen rose and approached him.

Holding out her hand she said, "Hi, Ceinwen Davies, I'll be your handler, Tony. My mother was a minor but respected character actress and she has provided me with tons of contacts in Hollywood, while my father worked for MI6. So, I also have a healthy network of contacts in the counter-intelligence world, too. I'm going to make you famous," she grinned.

"So, what - that makes you Henry Higgins and I'm Eliza Doolittle? he quipped.

"Exactly," she grinned and reached over gently and took hold of his jaw with her small strong hand and turned his head first one way to examine his profile and then to the other side, examining him with a critical air. "How would you feel about going a few shades lighter with some blonde highlights? And we need to let your hair grow out a wee bit, too, so we subtly change your appearance. We won't hide your past, but we won't go out and shout it to the world either. We'll play up your background as a cop if necessary and downplay the Fed angle, although frankly, most people have never heard of NCIS anyway, so it shouldn't raise too much suspicion if push comes to shove. Once you've started building some cred, no one will be that interested in your old life. Especially when you start dating celebrities - that will sell more magazines."

Ceinwen stared at him appraisingly. "With your acting ability and musical talent, we can make you into the next Hugh Jackman. Do you sing?"

Tony looked embarrassed. "Um, no," as Tom said "Yes, he can. He used to sing in the bullpen all the time."

"Great, we can organise a voice coach and an accent coach, too, so you can audition for more roles," Ceinwen nodded as if it was a fait au compli. Pulling out a folder from her oversized handbag she dropped it in Tony's lap, which he looked at curiously.

"And this is?" He asked.

She grinned. "That's the screen play and script for the movie we have organised for you to audition for, for the director and producers. Read it and memorise your audition scene, then we'll rehearse before your reading. It's a biopic that is being made about the child star Natalie Wood. You're going to read for the role of her husband, Robert John Wagner, so go away and prepare, study his films. You look enough like him that we were able to get you a reading, but the rest will be up to you…if you decide take up our job offer, of course." She looked at him appraisingly. "My business card is attached to the script, by the way."

Tom looked at Carter, "I think you've given him enough to chew on for tonight. So time to let him think about the job, hey, Tony?"

Johnson smiled and promised to be in touch. "While you think about it, think about the sort of persona you want to create, because if you do this, you'll be undercover long term.

~ Will The Real Narcissist Please Stand Up ~

Tony closed the door of his apartment, placing his car keys in a small ceramic dish on the hall table beside the door and opened the drawer and stowed his wallet away. Wandering in and collapsing on the sofa, he threw the script onto the coffee table and considered his night. It certainly didn't go down the way that he'd thought it would. He'd been expected to be bored to tears with all the suits and it hadn't worked out that way at all. Standing up and heading to the kitchen to brew up a pot of green tea before bed, he remembered one of the cases that they had worked where they couldn't get into a club. Gibbs had used Thom E. Gemcity to get inside along with his entourage of Ziva, Abby and Michelle Lee, and he had to admit he could see how celebrity opened doors and let them go places they otherwise couldn't.

Thinking about what would have to be the undercover role of the century, it occurred to him it would be like he was an American version of 007…sort of and how cool would it be if he managed to become the new James Bond after Daniel Craig? Well, supposing that he actually decided to take the job, that is. The question was simple, could he trust Carter Johnson not to chew him up and spit him out like Shepard and Vance had? At least he seemed the antithesis of charismatic and non-conformist, my way or the highway Gibbs with nary a hint of a messianic complex in sight so surely it wouldn't be a case of repeating his noxious behaviour patterns of the past. Still, knowing that this was a mission that he would be doing long term _should he choose to accept it_, he needed to be sure he was doing the right thing.

As he lay in bed that night, the last thing that he thought about before falling asleep was that it would be the ultimate irony if his celebrity persona bought the screen rights to _Deep Six_ and did a little rewriting of the screen play. Then perhaps he would end up played Agent Tommy. It could be a comedy in the Zoolander style, or he could include some embarrassing details that Thom E. Gemcity didn't see fit to include in the book, like teeth whitening, poison ivy or how a super-duper computer genius managed to have his identity stolen on more than one occasion. Oh, such sweet revenge!

Endnotes:

And there we have it people. The end of the story on a subject which in theory should have made me run a mile in the other direction. It started with a character that was a traitor eavesdropping on a private conversation and then promptly gossiped and was responsible for letting the genie out of the bottle, trashed one of the most popular characters of the show and used dry diagnostic criteria taken straight from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Fourth Edition which is the psychiatric communities diagnostic and therapeutic bible and had a barrowful of psychobabble. Not the most engaging of topics with which to begin a fan fiction.

Then there were the challenges I set myself when I began writing this. For example, could I write a Michelle Lee who wasn't immediately hated by everyone, but was someone who was human yet found herself forced into an intolerable situation? Could I write her in such a way that readers felt empathy for her while not excusing what she had done? The second challenge was could I write a story where a red herring running the length of the story and keep everyone from guessing what was really going on with Jefferies planning his attack on Gibbs but using Tony as a diversion? And finally, could I write a court room scene where Gibbs, who is an accomplished interrogator, was ambushed by a defence attorney and tripped up by his own rules and actions? I leave it to you, the readers, to judge how successful those efforts have been, but while this story has been challenging in every way to write, it has also been an exciting ride from start to finish.

It would be remiss of me to not give credit where credit is due. And I owe a truckload of thanks to Arress for her amazing help and support on this one. She has been right there from its inception, helping out with research and acting as a sounding board and encouraging me every step of the way, including providing insight into Gibbs and Tony's characters. Not to mention lending her Beta skills in wrangling my punctuation into submission :)

One reviewer suggested that I should include a confrontation scene between Tony, Ziva and McGee. This story has been planned in minute detail pretty much from the get go and that wasn't ever in the story outline. With the exception of one element, I have stuck faithfully to the outline. Towards the end I decided that Faith should lose the case because while I know most people want happily ever after, it felt right, but Tony was always going to leave the team regardless. So, back to the confrontation, it has already been written into the sequel. So sorry to disappoint, but you will get it – just not yet. Thanks everyone for reading and hope you enjoyed it.

*TMI =Too much information


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